By The Telegraph (World News) | Created at 2024-10-26 16:20:39 | Updated at 2024-10-26 18:22:20
2 hours ago
Good afternoon and welcome to the Telegraph’s live coverage of the sixth and final Premier League fixture this Saturday as Everton welcome Fulham to Goodison Park, which will kick off at 5:30pm.
After losing their first four Premier League games this season, another arduous campaign appeared on the cards for Everton, as the ignominious prospect of ending their 132-year stay at Goodison Park with relegation from the top-flight slowly began to feel like an ever-increasing possibility.
However, manager Sean Dyche has engineered a string of positive results to abate their alarming run of form, with two wins and two draws from their last four league outings, including an impressive 2-0 away victory at Ipswich last weekend.
Centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite is set to return from a quad injury this evening, after featuring only once this season against Crystal Palace last month, with winger Jesper Lindstrom also returning to the squad having recovered from illness.
In his pre-match press conference, Dyche mentioned how players returning to full fitness have played a significant part in the recent upturn in results, which has lifted the mood over the blue half of Merseyside.
Dyche said: “We’ve found ourselves in a better position on the pitch and with injuries. That sharpness has helped and we’ve found a way to get results. We are showing we are a capable outfit and we can win games in the Premier League. There’s certainly a good feeling around the group at the minute.”
Meanwhile, Fulham travel up to Merseyside on the back of defeats in their last two Premier League matches, albeit both losses came away at Manchester City and at home to Aston Villa.
Interestingly, the west London side possess an identical record after their first eight Premier League matches, as they have managed over the past two seasons, which may allay any pressing concerns from Fulham fans about their team’s trajectory at present.
Marco Silva’s men will be without centre-back Joachim Andersen, after the Dane picked up a red card during their 3-1 home loss against Aston Villa last weekend. However, manager Marco Silva has full faith in Issa Diop to deputise for Anderson in defence for tonight’s match, despite the Frenchman’s unfortunate own goal in last Saturday’s match.
Silva said: “The way he [Diop] reacted to the own goal was really good. He is going to be important for us. He works hard. He’s a team player. He is ready to help everyone. Let’s hope he can perform the way we know he can.”
Speaking about the challenge posed by Everton this evening, who Silva managed for 18 months between May 2018 and December 2019, the Portuguese said: “For a long, long time, Fulham wasn’t able to win there and as a team we were able to change it. It’s a good sign. We know the type of game we are going to play, but it’s always really tough.”
Fulham have actually emerged victorious in their last three visits to Goodison Park in all competitions, after a horrible run of 14 consecutive losses away at Everton. Will the visitors pull off yet another triumph at Goodison Park on their final league visit? Or will Everton buck this recent trend with a win tonight?
Team news to follow.
