Everton vs Stoke Predictions & Betting Tips, Match Previews

Everton endured a torrid time of things last season as they finished in the bottom half of the Premier League despite a host of star players that they were valuing at over £50 million.

This resulted in the dismissal of Roberto Martinez, with in demand Southampton manager Ronald Koeman coming in to replace him as they looked to make the most of the wealth of talent at their disposal.

Everton have begun the season in much higher spirits as well. They could only take a point at home to Tottenham Hotspur despite a very early goal from Ross Barkley putting them in the lead. However, a point certainly isn’t the worst result in the world against a side who challenged for the title last term.

They followed it with a trip to West Brom, fighting back excellently from an early West Brom goal to win 2-1. Kevin Mirallas got the equaliser deep in first half stoppage time before Gareth Barry put them in front on the hour, and the visiting Everton fully deserved the victory in the end. They also followed it with a comfortable 4-0 win against Yeovil in the League Cup in midweek.

Stoke managed their own 4-0 thrashing in midweek as they visited Stevenage. Peter Crouch bagged a hat trick there as he tries to push himself into the starting line up, but Mark Hughes won’t want to be taking too many risks after last week’s showing against Manchester City.

The Potters lost 4-1 at home to Man City as Sergio Aguero netted a brace in the first half. Bojan reduced the deficit with a penalty early in the second half, but a quickfire double from Nolito late in the second half sealed an emphatic victory for the visitors. This followed on from a disappointing draw at Middlesbrough in their opening game of the season.

I fancy Everton to get the win here. They’ve looked the much better side so far this season and Stoke will be a bit low on confidence after their heavy defeat at home last weekend. Romelu Lukaku is also set to start after a minor injury problem so that adds an extra quality up front for the hosts. Odds of 8/11 for an Everton win look decent value too, so I’m backing that along with a 2-1 correct score prediction at 8/1.