Premier League: Leeds Plan to Keep Everton Winless in 2022

Everton vs Leeds United

Everton have yet to record a Premier League victory in 2022 and they’ll face another tricky challenge when Leeds United pay a visit to Goodison Park this weekend.

The Toffees are in a sticky situation since they’re only a few points clear from the drop zone, placing 16^th with 19 points as of this writing. They’re fresh from a loss against Newcastle United, and this home game against Leeds United is their second match in seven days.

The Whites, meanwhile, are right above them in the standings. Leeds are at the 15^th spot with 22 points, and they too have a congested schedule since they’ll face Aston Villa tomorrow before this upcoming fixture.

The pre-match SBOTOP betting odds are expecting Everton to finally end their Premier League drought on Saturday, which would give them a major boost amid their floundering 2021/22 campaign.

But given how their reverse fixture last August went, we expect this to be a highly-competitive affair full of Premier League 2022 highlights.

Talking Points

Everton have a lot of work to do despite recent face-lift

Everton have suffered defeats in their last four Premier League matches — Everton’s Dele Alli in action against Newcastle United’s Joelinton

Everton were one of the biggest winners in the January transfer window with their newest additions, but it’ll take them some time to turn in better results.

In Frank Lampard’s first game at the coaching helm for the Toffees, they were beaten badly by Newcastle 3-1 as no Everton player found the back of the net.

Dele Alli’s debut was highly-anticipated but he failed to make a positive impact in the said game. The former Tottenham man looked rusty as he gave the ball away ahead of Newcastle’s second goal and he was slow on the defencive end.

His performance was met with a ton of criticism, which is just a shame given what he’s been through these past few months.

Not only Everton suffered defeat, but they also lost key players to injuries and they’re questionable for this weekend’s game. Centre-back Yerry Mina and forward Demarai Gray had to come off the field in the first half vs. Newcastle.

It’s a double-whammy for Everton on both sides of the pitch. The Toffees’ central defence was further compromised especially following Ben Godfrey’s injury on Saturday. Meanwhile, Demarai Gray – who is their second top scorer with six goals – has sustained a hip pointer.

More injury woes for Leeds United

Leeds United can’t seem to catch a break health-wise. For tomorrow’s game against Aston Villa, the Whites have listed Jamie Shackleton, Adam Forshaw, Charlie Cresswell, Patrick Bamford, Junior Firpo, Liam Cooper, and Kalvin Phillips unavailable to play.

Patrick Bamford’s lack of progress in his recovery, in particular, has had the most profound impact for Leeds United. The Englishman has dealt with successive injuries this term, and he has only made six Premier League appearances and scored twice.

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Raphinha has done all he can to keep Leeds afloat with his eight goals and two assists, but that alone won’t be enough in the long-term.

The only consolation for the Whites is that they’re in better shape compared to Everton since they’ve won two of their last three league games to start the year. They’re certainly capable of winning, but they just need a few more warm bodies back.

History

The head-to-heads between Everton and Leeds United have been pretty even in these past few seasons. In their last 15 games against each other, the Whites have the slight edge with five wins, while the Toffees have won one matchless along with six draws.

Leeds United have split their meetings against Everton in the 2020/21 season. And in their most recent encounter that took place in August, the spoils were shared via a 2-2 draw.

The said reverse fixture was a classic back-and-forth between these two clubs. Dominic Calvert-Lewin drew first blood to give the Toffees the lead, but Mateusz Klich managed to score the equaliser before the halftime break.

Demarai Gray seemingly reclaimed the advantage for Everton with his 50^th-minute goal. However, Raphinha bailed out Leeds with another equaliser 22 minutes later.

Betting Tip

	Everton vs Leeds United	1X2 Draw @ 3.35
	February 12, 23:00 (GMT+8)

Everton are installed as the favourites to win by the Premier League 2022 odds. The Toffees are priced at 2.08, while Leeds United are pegged at 3.40 in the 1X2 market. But upon examining their possible lineups, we are leaning towards another draw just like last August, which is currently priced at 3.35. A draw isn’t ideal for both sides, but they’ll be happy to take it since points have been hard to come by.