Everton vs Stoke City - Premier League Preview and Odds

Published on: 10/08/2017

Everton vs Stoke City - Premier League Preview and Odds

August 12, 2017 15:00pm - Goodison Park

Premier League

Everton will kick off their second full season under Ronald Koeman with a home match against established Premier League mid-table side Stoke City at Goodison Park on Saturday.

Fans of the Merseyside club will be hoping that the Dutch boss can build on the success of last season when he led them to a seventh place finish and Europa League qualification. However, the departure of star striker Romelu Lukaku for £75m and the continued uncertainty over the future of Ross Barkley has prompted cause for concern amongst some supporters who were hoping for some big name arrivals this summer.

Of course, the Toffees have been busy in the transfer market, bringing in goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, Burnley`s Michael Keane and former Barcelona forward Sandro Ramirez, while Wayne Rooney has returned to the club he left as a teenager. Perhaps the most exciting signing for the fans has been midfielder Davy Klaasen who arrived from Ajax with a big reputation.

On a competitive level, things have started slowly for Everton with two lacklustre wins over minnows Ruzomberok in the qualifying rounds of the Europa League leaving fans a little bemused.

Meanwhile, Stoke City will be looking to improve on last season`s 13th place but have yet to make any real impact in the transfer market. Marko Arnautovic and Jon Walters have both left the club and there have been a lack of significant arrivals to replace the attacking threat of those players. As a result, the Potters can be expected to struggle for goals once again this term. In fact, they could find themselves drawn into a relegation scrap if they do not recruit attacking

Recent form (all competitions)

Everton: WWLWL

Stoke City: WLLWL

Betting odds and tips

Both sides have weakened their attack during the transfer window so a low scoring game could be on the cards here. Stoke were never big scorers anyway and Everton relied on Lukaku and Barkley to provide nearly half of all their goals. However, dont count out Wayne Rooney netting on his return to his old club.

You can back Under 2.5 Goals at 4/5 and Wayne Rooney to score anytime at 6/4 with Bet365.

By Neil Morris