Paul Merson predicts Everton clash v Fulham in Premier League
Paul Merson has predicted that Everton will begin their Premier League season with a draw against Fulham at Goodison Park on Saturday 12 August.
The Sky Sports pundit has backed Sean Dyche’s side to pick up a point in a 1-1 draw, despite dubbing their form at the end of last season a “massive concern.”
Everton are hoping to start their season on the front foot having struggled to hold their position in the Premier League in both of the last two campaigns, but there remains some concern that the Toffees may not be able to avoid the drop.
Writing in his Premier League Predictions for Sportskeeda on Thursday (10 August), Merson predicted: “This is a difficult game for both teams. I’m worried for Everton. Their results towards the end of last season were a massive concern. Their home form is poor, and they were falling behind last year in big football matches.
“Fulham have a situation on their hands with Aleksandar Mitrovic. If you take away his goals last season, Fulham wouldn’t have been where they were. Everton don’t open anyone up, and they can’t afford to lose this weekend. This will be a cagey game, and I think it’ll end in a draw. 1-1”
Tough to say
So much around Goodison Park remains uncertain heading into another Premier League campaign, with rumours around ownership circulating all while the Toffees aim to confirm the signing of young striker Youseff Chermiti.
While Merson’s point about the poor form towards the tail-end of last season is true, it is unknown how much of an impact that will have on the Merseyside club after a long pre-season, especially when faced with a Fulham side who may not have their star-man in Mitrovic.
The Toffees home form may well have been poor, but they haven’t played a competitive fixture at Goodison since May so can that still impact the players? Especially after their last experience was a final-day win that secured survival in front of a rocking Goodison crowd against Bournemouth.
Things are far from perfect under Dyche’s leadership, but the Toffees seem to be in a much better place now than they were on the eve of the last campaign and the signing of Arnaut Danjuma in particular should be a boost for both the Toffees and their fans.
Fulham won’t be an easy test, but if Everton click on Saturday they could surprise a few people and bring home all three points.
In other Everton news, whispers have emerged of a new potential £250m takeover of the Toffees