Two teams that suffered contrasting fortunes on the opening weekend of the new Premier League season will face off at Goodison Park at lunch time when Everton host West Bromwich Albion.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side kicked off their campaign with an impressive 1-0 win at Tottenham Hotspur, whereas the newly-promoted Baggies were soundly beaten at home to Leicester City.
For a number of years now, pre-season talk surrounding Everton has usually been regarding the subject of a possible top-six finish – something they have not gone on to achieve since the 2013-14 campaign.
However, last weekend’s win at Spurs – their first away to one of the ‘big six’ since December 2013 – felt like a statement of their credentials this time around, with a world-class manager at the helm and a world star in James Rodriguez headlining some exciting summer business.
Ancelotti threw all of his debutants in from the start against Tottenham and they all impressed, even if it was the more familiar faces of Lucas Digne and Dominic Calvert-Lewin who provided the assist and finish respectively for the only goal of the game.
On paper, the trip to North London looks like Everton’s biggest test until they host champions Liverpool in the Merseyside derby on October 17, so there is every reason to be optimistic of a strong start to the campaign.
The Toffees made it two wins and two clean sheets from two games across all competitions with a 3-0 triumph over Salford City in the EFL Cup on Wednesday night too, setting up a third-round clash at Fleetwood Town next week.
West Brom were also 3-0 winners over League Two opposition in midweek as they eased past Harrogate Town at the Hawthorns, but their Premier League season got off to a much less successful start.
Slaven Bilic’s side were on the other end of a 3-0 scoreline on the opening weekend as they shipped three second-half goals to lose to Leicester at home – a result which leaves them bottom of the table after matchday one.
Of course, Bilic will stress to his side that Leicester were one of the best teams in the division last season and that their league standing after game week one does not mean anything, but it is still a position no team wants to be in.
Today’s trip to Goodison is the Baggies’ only away assignment from five games in September and they will no doubt hope to resurrect the form which saw them pick up a joint league-high number of points and lose a joint league-low number of games on the road in the Championship last season.
With Chelsea next up in the league after this match, any points on the board will be welcome for West Brom to get them off the mark as quickly as possible.
Everton possible XI: Pickford, Coleman, Keane, Mina, Digne, Gomez, Allan, Doucoure, Rodriguez, Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison.
West Bromwich Albion possible XI: Johnstone, Furlong, Ajayi, Bartley, O’Shea, Townsend, Pereira, Sawyers, Livermore, Diangana, Robinson.