Everton Looking To Calm Relegation Fears Against In-Form Leicester City

Everton Looking To Calm Relegation Fears Against In-Form Leicester City
10:55, 31 Jan 2018

Wednesday, January 31 (19:45 GMT), Goodison Park

Two sides in markedly different veins of form meet at Goodison Park on Wednesday evening as Everton host upwardly-mobile Leicester City.

Without a win in seven, the hosts are beginning to looking over their shoulders once again as far as relegation is concerned- but know a win over the Foxes would dispel some lingering fears over their ability to escape the drop.

By contrast, visitors Leicester remain unbeaten in 2018 under Claude Puel. Indeed, such has been their form in recent weeks, a late charge for a European berth does not seem totally out of the question.

They will hope to not only emerge unscathed from the encounter on Merseyside, but also stave off any late interest in winger Riyad Mahrez on deadline day.

Team news

Seamus Coleman is in line to make his first senior appearance in over 10 months after playing an hour for Everton Under-23s last week. Fellow full-back Luke Garbutt has also been named in the squad to face Leicester, providing left-back cover for Cuco Martina in the absence of normal first-choice Leighton Baines.

Elsewhere, injury to James McCarthy could result in a recall for Idrissa Gueye in midfield, with Tom Davies also pushing for a return to the team in the centre of the park.

Up front, January signings Cenk Tosun and Theo Walcott are competing with Oumar Niasse and Yannick Bolasie for starting berths in Allardyce's side.

Leicester boss Claude Puel, meanwhile, is set to welcome back a host of first-team regulars who were rested in the FA Cup victory over Peterborough United at the weekend. As such, the likes of Jamie Vardy, Shinji Okazaki and Wilfred Ndidi should all feature from the start at Goodison. Creative influence Riyad Mahrez, though, is the subject of late interest from Manchester City, and could miss out altogether.

With Leicester in a strong run of form in the league, stars of the 5-1 thrashing of Peterborough, Kelechi Iheanacho and Fousseni Diabaté, seem likely to have to settle for a spot on the bench despite impressing Puel at the ABAX Stadium.

Wes Morgan is the one major doubt for the Frenchman, with the towering centre-back only recently returning to first-team training following a spell on the sidelines. Morgan's place alongside Harry Maguire is expected to be filled by either Robert Huth or Aleksandar Dragovic.

What they said

Sam Allardyce: "I would expect that my focus is not on the transfer window because unfortunately yet again the Premier League have decided to play a game right on the transfer window deadline.

"I think we had to suffer this last season, clearly at the AGM they didn't think it was worthy of not doing it this time around. I'll give you an example, if I pick a team today and tomorrow it's splashed in the paper that one of those players is going to be sold before the window shuts, how is that player going to approach the game against Leicester?

"Is that right? It certainly isn't, but we have to cope with it."

Claude Puel: "Diabate's performance (against Peterborough) was encouraging. But there are a lot of steps still to make. We need to have patience. He is a young player and needs to know culture of a new country.

“He can give good opportunity for the future. Good quality, good confidence. Perfect for England. He is a young player and we need to have patience with him. He needs to know the Premier League and that will be another thing to develop.

“Everton's a great team with quality in the squad. I know they have spent £200million in the last 12 months on fantastic players with quality, and we know this team is dangerous with a lot of quality.

“We will have to have a good focus and concentration on them. It’s not the same team as in my first game with Leicester. They were not confident. Now, they are playing well with confidence and it will be a tough game.”

Expected starting lineups

Everton: Pickford; Coleman, Keane, Jagielka, Martina; Gueye, Davies, Rooney; Walcott, Sigurdsson, Niasse

Leicester City: Schmeichel; Simpson, Dragovic, Maguire, Fuchs; Mahrez, Ndidi, Iborra, Albrighton; Vardy, Okazaki

Prediction

It's been a depressing start to 2018 for Everton, who are now in urgent need of three points to pull themselves clear of trouble. With Arsenal to come on Saturday at the Emirates, Allardyce's men will know victory over the Foxes is paramount to the Blues' hopes of revival.

Home advantage may be in their favour here, but as one of the in-form sides in the division, Claude Puel's Leicester City offer particularly stubborn opposition.

Should Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy feature from the outset, the Foxes have the pace and firepower to seriously trouble a leaky Everton backline.

And so, few would bet against Allardyce's woes continuing on Wednesday night. Everton 1-2 Leicester City

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