Everton too short even v newly promoted opposition
Nottingham Forest picked up their first Premier League win in the 21st century last time out against West Ham United.
Steve Cooper’s men rode their luck with Dean Henderson denying Declan Rice from 12 yards, as Taiwo Awoniyi’s first goal for the Reds proved to be the difference between the two sides.
Everton have suffered two defeats by a one goal margin, against Chelsea and Aston Villa so far, with Frank Lampard’s men continuing to look unconvincing as they did last term.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s injury has led to a hole at the top of the pitch, with square pegs in round holes preferred to Salomon Rondon.
It is hard to justify why Everton are odds on to win this one, especially after the impressive summer transfer window Forest have had.
Process
The Toffees gave a decent account of themselves in their loss to Chelsea on matchday one, but were then swept aside quite comfortably by a Villa side who lost at Bournemouth on the opening day.
Everton have performed better in both boxes than Forest so far, but the numbers are close and the data does not provide much of an insight at this early stage.
Alex Iwobi has dropped back into a central midfield position of late, alongside Abdoulaye Doucoure, and the former Watford is arguably the Toffees’ star man with Richarlison leaving in the summer and Calvert-Lewin unavailable.
It feels like Lampard has around half of the players that he needs to achieve progress this season, and there are some positions that badly need addressing before the end of the window.
Brennan Johnson threatened to get off the mark against the Hammers, and it will be interesting to see how the Toffees deal with the Welshman’s electric pace.
The win would have worked wonders for confidence in the Forest camp, and with Lewis O’Brien showing his class in the last match, the Reds have a good chance of winning the midfield battle in this one.
Team news
Calvert-Lewin as mentioned, Ben Godfrey, Andre Gomes, Yerry Mina and Andros Townsend are sidelined for the hosts, with only Omar Richards ruled out for the visitors, though Ryan Yates is a doubt.
The pressure is building on Lampard the longer the wait for a first league victory goes on, and the weight of expectation will be palpable against the newly promoted side.
Forest have an opportunity to yield a positive result, with the Toffees lacking inspiration in the final third.
Post bet chat Marcus's Tips:
1-1, a comfortable winner with Everton equalising late on.