Premier League: Leeds Welcome Winless Everton to Elland Road

Leeds United vs Everton

Jesse Marsch and Leeds United will be quite pleased with where they stand four games into the new Premier League season.

Despite suffering their first defeat this past weekend, they still find themselves comfortably in the top half of the table with seven points, three of which came in a famous 3-0 win over Chelsea.

The Whites will look to bounce back from their loss to Brighton as they host a struggling Everton side this midweek.

Frank Lampard’s Toffees, who finished a point ahead of Leeds last season, are once again down near the relegation zone and are still searching for their first win of the campaign.

Talking Points

Rodrigo resurgence continues

Leeds United’s undefeated run to start the new season finally came to an end as they lost 1-0 away to Brighton this past weekend. Jesse Marsch’s side had significantly more of the ball – 57 per cent possession – but they were still outshot 13-10 by the Seagulls and had just two shots on target.

Rodrigo alone accounted for half of the Whites’ shots with five, although he was unable to convert any of them. Nevertheless, the Spaniard’s early-season form has to be one of the biggest bright spots through the first month. The 31-year-old has scored four goals in his first four games with 18 shots, 13 more than his next closest teammate.

Patrick Bamford is on the road to recovery after the muscle problem he suffered against Southampton, but the striker’s return remains up in the air. Meanwhile, the full-back trio of Junior Firpo, Luke Ayling, and Stuart Dallas is also still on the sidelines.

Leeds’ starting wingers Daniel James and Jack Harrison were both disappointing against Brighton, and Marsch could potentially make a change in that position. Luis Sinisterra, who got his first Leeds goal in their 3-1 Carabao Cup win over Barnsley, provided a spark as a substitute and is an option to start for either.

Everton’s struggles persist

Four games into the new season, Everton are still searching for their first win. After losing their first two games, the Toffees have drawn their last two 1-1 against Nottingham Forest and Brentford.

Those underwhelming Premier League 2022 results see Everton down in 17^th, one point above the relegation zone.

The attack remains a major concern for Everton, who are still without injured striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Frank Lampard fielded a fluid front three of Demarai Gray, Anthony Gordon and Dwight McNeil last time out against Brentford, and he could very well stick with that formation at Leeds with veteran centre-forward Salomon Rondon struggling to provide much offensive punch.

Gordon, who looks set to stay at Everton despite interest from Chelsea, has been by far the Toffeess’ brightest player thus far. He scored his first goal of the season against Brentford and has 11 shots (9 on target) over his last two games.

Meanwhile, the remade Everton defence is also not in the best shape. Yerry Mina and Ben Godfrey remain out, so Conor Coady and James Tarkowski will continue to play in the back three alongside Mason Holgate.

History

Everton vs Leeds has been quite a competitive matchup during the Premier League era. Everton have a slight 9-8 edge in wins, while there have been 11 draws.

The Toffees have had the upper hand on Leeds since the Whites’ return to the Premier League. After losing their first matchup at Goodison Park, Everton have gone unbeaten in their last three meetings with Leeds, with two wins. They drew 2-2 with Leeds at Elland Road last season, before smashing Leeds 3-0 at Goodison Park.

Of course, Leeds are now without Brazilian winger Raphinha, who scored three of the team’s four goals in four games against Everton.

Betting Tip 

SBOTOP Premier League 2022 betting odds have Leeds installed as 2.12 favourites to get back to winning ways at home. Everton are priced at 3.40 to pick up their first win while a draw is 3.30.

This is a tremendous opportunity for Leeds to bounce back right away from that Brighton defeat as they face an out-of-form Everton side. Their pressing can cause a disjointed Toffees team some real problems, and Everton’s lack of a legitimate goal threat will ease the pressure off the Leeds defence.

Look for the Whites to keep Everton winless as they get a much-needed home win at Elland Road this midweek.

 

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