Mark Lawrenson predicts Everton clash v Bournemouth as Frank Lampard backed to go bezerk
Mark Lawrenson expects the Premier League clash between Everton and Bournemouth to be closer than their Carabao Cup encounter was.
The Toffees were thrashed 4-1 in midweek as Frank Lampard made 11 changes to his side, which led to boos from the travelling fans and pressure on the manager’s job.
But in the final game before the World Cup break pauses the season for a month, the two sides will go toe-to-toe once again in the league this time, and Lawrenson told Paddy Power (11 November) that he expects a “dour” affair that will end in a draw.
“Bournemouth did Everton 4-1 in the Carabao Cup the other night but this will be closer,” he said.
“I think Frank Lampard would have kicked some a*se in that Everton changing room.
“They changed their team a lot for that game but I’ll go for a dour draw this time around. Bournemouth 1-1 Everton.”
Must win
While a point would obviously represent progress and improvement from midweek, this is a must-win game for Everton if they want to avoid trouble in the second half of the season.
If they fail to win the game there is a very real risk that they can fall into the relegation zone and that will make them a less attractive proposition to prospective January transfer targets, as well as leaving them low on morale during the break.
They had a ready-made excuse in midweek with Lampard making 11 changes to the team, but for this game they should be back to somewhere near full strength and that will be out of the window.
They have injury issues with Dominic Calvert-Lewin once again, and Anthony Gordon continues to struggle after a summer of speculation, but if they want to cement their Premier League status then they must win games against the teams in and around them, starting with Bournemouth on Saturday.