Everton - Brighton and Hove Albion predictions and free betting tips [04/11/2023]

Today during the 11th round of the EPL, Everton will play host to Brighton. Midweek saw the 'Toffees' scoring three unanswered goals against Burnley to reach the Carabao Cup quarterfinals, while Roberto De Zerbi's side couldn't hold on to a slender lead against Fulham, ending 1:1.

Projected Line-ups

Everton: Pickford; Patterson, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Harrison, Garner, Onana, McNeil; Doucouré; Calvert-Lewin.

Brighton: Steele; Veltman, Dunk, Webster, Milner; Gilmour, Balleba; Fati, Gross, Mitoma; Ferguson.

Venue

The clash will take place in Liverpool at Goodison Park.

Everton

Everton, who faced colossal difficulties in prior seasons, might have to put in even more effort this campaign to avoid the drop. Nonetheless, they've distanced themselves from the relegation zone with three victories in the last five matches after a less than ideal start. Currently positioned 15th in the Premier League standings, they're 5 points clear of the bottom three. After a setback against Liverpool in the Merseyside Derby (0:2), Everton brilliantly bounced back with a win over West Ham (0:1) last weekend. This week they secured a quarterfinal spot in the Carabao Cup with a 3:0 victory over Burnley. James Tarkowski scored the opener early into the match, with Amadi Onana and Ashley Young completing the rout in the second half. Following this, the Blues could achieve a first since September 2021 - three consecutive victories.

Everton are still without Portuguese central midfielder André Gomes (who last season played for Lille) and Dele Alli, both not fully recovered from injuries. On the flip side, defensive captain Coleman, who's been out since the season’s start, is set to return this weekend. In-form attacker Calvert-Lewin (3 goals in 7 matches) is a key threat in attack. Sean Dyche will likely field a similar line-up to the one that knocked Burnley out of the Carabao Cup this week. Arnold Danjuma will likely be replaced by Abdoulaye Doucouré, and Nathan Patterson is ready to challenge Ashley Young for the left-back position.

Brighton

The Seagulls, sitting 7th in the Premier League, hope to build on last season's success and reenter the run for European spots. Their season start went well, winning all but one of their first six league matches, but since October the Seagulls have been on a downward trajectory, proven by their current streak of four games without victory (2 draws and 2 losses). After a 2:1 loss to Manchester City, Brighton drew 1:1 with Fulham over the weekend. Evan Ferguson gave the Seagulls the lead on the 26-minute mark, but João Palhinha (Fulham's defensive midfielder) scored a stunning top-corner goal in the second half to snatch a draw for Marco Silva's team. Roberto De Zerbi's side is currently 3rd in Group B of the Europa League, trailing the leader by just one point.

On the road, Brighton hasn't been able to secure a clean sheet in eight games. The visitors are still missing playmaker Ensiso, Ghanaian defender Lamptey and midfielder Moder. Alongside striker Welbeck (1 goal) and winger Soli March (3 goals and 1 assist), the Seagulls will also be missing left lateral Estupinán. Without Welbeck, there’ll likely be a return to the front line for Ferguson (19 years old, 5 goals in 10 matches). The young Irishman became the first junior to score 10 league goals in a calendar year since Wayne Rooney's performance in 2005. He'll be backed by Japanese player Mitoma (3 goals and 3 assists). Billy Gilmour, Joël Veltman, and Ansu Fati are among those that could augment the gameplay coming off the bench in the second half.

Head to Head

In January, Everton was thrashed 5:1 at the Amex, and Brighton also managed a comprehensive win at Goodison Park, easily defeating the Merseyside club 1:4.

Everton - Brighton match prediction

While Brighton got the better of Everton twice last season, recent team performances suggest Sean Dyche's charges, with three wins in their last four, could pose a challenge for the Seagulls. That said, don't overestimate the Toffees: Brighton is a much more formidable opponent compared to Burnley or Bournemouth. Having rested due to the absence of a midweek Carabao Cup fixture, Brighton looks poised to take all 3 points on Saturday.

Total Goals Prediction

Everton tends to play conceptually at home with a total of 9 goals scored/conceded in five matches here. My prediction is Under 3.5 for the total goals scored in the game.