Mark Lawrenson predicts the outcome of Everton clash v Southampton
Everton will travel to St Mary’s to face Southampton in the Premier League on Saturday (1 October) and Mark Lawrenson predicts a win for the home side.
The former Liverpool defender suggests that the Saints are unpredictable, and he thinks they will snatch a narrow 1-0 win after the international break while sharing his prediction for Paddy Power.
Lawrenson adds that the Toffees are “hard to beat”, and that they’ve shown signs of improvement under Frank Lampard.
“I’m not expecting this to be a thriller. Everton finally got that first win of the season which was important for them. Southampton, you never really know how they’re going to play,” notes Lawrenson for Paddy Power.
“Everton have tightened up and are hard to beat but I’m just going to go for a narrow home win. Both of these have plenty to improve. Southampton 1-0 Everton.“
Optimism
The Toffees are undefeated in their last five Premier League games, and they picked up their first win of the season prior to the international break when they defeated West Ham.
It will be interesting to see how the Toffees react after the break, as it is equally important to maintain consistency and momentum.
The Toffees narrowly escaped relegation last season, but they now have a much better team, despite losing Richarlison who joined Tottenham Hotspur.
The new signings have given them an extra belief. Lampard will miss the service of Nathan Patterson who picked up an injury during the international break, but Seamus Coleman is there to fill the gap.
The fitness issue with Dominic Calvert-Lewin is also a major concern for the club.
Abdoulaye Doucoure is back to full fitness while Lampard will be looking to unleash James Garner, the young talent who joined from Manchester United in the summer.
This is a tricky game for the Toffees. Lampard needs to improve his away record, and the Toffees must look to pick up all three points from this fixture.