Everton will want to continue Premier League trend in Hill Dickinson Stadium curtain raiser vs Brighton
Everton are days away from their first competitive game at the new Hill Dickinson Stadium, in what will be an exciting day for supporters.
Everton will want to forget the disappointing 1-0 loss to Leeds, as they look to give fans what they deserve – a memorable win in their first home game at a new stadium in 133 years.
Brighton will be the opponents, as David Moyes gets ready to officially start the new era.
The Toffees do have one advantage going into the game, and the Everton faithful are likely to play a part.
Premier League clubs tend to win their first games at their new ground
Everton still have a long way to go towards building a side suitable for competing for Europe again.
Moyes is understood to want a new midfielder this summer, with Tyler Dibling one of Everton’s key targets.
The Toffees had to utilise James Garner at left-back and Jake O’Brien at right-back against Leeds, but no incomings are expected before they host Brighton.
Therefore, supporters will be thankful that there is a trend of teams winning in their first games at their new stadiums.
Most recently, Tottenham won 2-0 against Crystal Palace following their switch from White Hart Lane to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in April 2019.
- Brighton also won their first game at the Amex Stadium 2-1 against Doncaster in the Championship (2011)
- Manchester City and Arsenal also had 1-1 draws in their first games, against Portsmouth (2003) and Aston Villa (2006) respectively
West Ham also won in their debut at the London Stadium, 1-0 against Bournemouth, with newly promoted Sunderland winning for the first time at the Stadium of Light, 3-1 against Manchester City in 1997.
The Toffees will be hoping that they can continue the trend against Brighton on Sunday.
- Read more: ‘Vitalii Mykolenko could be out for months’ after injury news ahead of Everton vs Brighton
Everton have won just two of their last seven against Brighton
Everton have won just two of their last seven against Brighton, but Moyes did pick up a win against Sunday’s opponents in his second game back on Merseyside last season.
- Everton have 11 wins, seven draws, and six losses to Brighton
- The Seagulls have begun to turn the tide since their return to the top-flight, having won three and drawn two since February 2022
Moyes has also won just three of his 12 games against Brighton in his managerial career.
At the start of last season, Everton lost 3-0 at Goodison Park to Brighton, and supporters will be hoping they don’t meet the same fate at the Hill Dickinson curtain-raiser on Sunday.
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