Paul Merson predicts Everton Premier League clash v Leicester City at Goodison Park
Paul Merson has predicted Everton to run out 2-0 winners when they take on Leicester City in the Premier League on Saturday.
The Toffees sit in 12th place after a decent run of form and they will play host to the Foxes at Goodison Park who are currently in the relegation zone.
However, with the table so tight, a two-goal victory for the visitors could see them leapfrog Everton as the difference is just three points between the two sides.
In his Sportskeeda column, Merson wrote, “What version of Leicester are we going to get? This is the problem with the teams at the bottom – they’re there for one reason only. You don’t know what you’re going to get with them. Leicester scored four goals against Wolves, but they weren’t able to trouble Manchester City.
“I think James Maddison can still make it to the World Cup. I would take him – one hundred percent. The other nations haven’t played against him much and won’t know much about him. He has an X-factor about him and deserves to be in the squad.
“Everton are playing like you’d expect an Everton team to play – they’re working hard, and they’re closing teams down very well. They’re decent at home and they were really good against Palace the other week. I’m backing Everton to win this game.”
Good performance needed
Apart from the three points, what Lampard will expect is for his players to put in a good performance against the Foxes.
Brendan Rodgers appears to be fighting for his job and his side are clearly not playing to the level many know they can.
The Toffees, on the other hand, have been doing relatively well with their financial constraints and their style of football has come into question.
While defensively, they are among the best in the league, they do seem to look for answers in the final third and that needs to change.
Anthony Gordon is not living up to the hype and is unable to deliver performances consistently like he was last season.
He’s got to improve and the same can be said about Demarai Gray and Dwight McNeil – both of whom are showing glimpses of their talent but lack that end product that’s important to win games.
The Toffees have been handed a boost with two players returning to training for this one but whether or not they’ll feature, remains to be seen.