Possible lineups, predictions, tactics, team news and key stats

[ad_1]

Leeds United will be eager to go off the mark in the 2021/22 Premier League season when they welcome Everton at Island Road on Saturday.

The 2021/22 Premier League season moves into its second weekend, as teams continue to try to settle into a rhythm. The action kicks off in Gameweek 2 in Anfield, with Liverpool facing Burnley, with the second show of the day being ‘Goal Rush’, with Leeds United and Everton taking part in a match.

Leeds United got off to a sad start to their career, losing impressively to Manchester United, who took a 5-1 win in their opening weekend. The white team showed very little defensive acumen, which made it easy for the Red Devils to achieve victory. And that’s a problem Marcelo Bielsa will need to address if his team is to avoid the dreaded Season 2 Syndrome.

On the other hand, Everton were eager to make an impact after ending their pre-season with a 4-0 win at the hands of Manchester United. The Toffees, though, were impressive as they came from behind to beat Southampton 3-1, with Richarlison, Abdoulaye Doukuri and Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring on goal.

Last season’s showdown saw Everton narrowly beat Leeds United 2-1, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring the winning goal. Ahead of the two sides’ final meeting, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the confrontation.

Team news and tactics

Calvin Phillips should return to the Leeds United starting line-up. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

Marcelo Bielsa will likely have had a big boost in team news ahead of Everton’s visit to Elland Road. On Saturday, the Leeds United boss will be denied the services of one first-team player, and Diego Llorente is still recovering from his injury.

However, Calvin Phillips is likely to enter the competition to start against Everton after being an unused substitute against Manchester United last weekend. The England international must therefore sit at the base of the Leeds midfield, with Robin Koch relieved of those duties.

Instead, Koch will take his place at the heart of Leeds’ defense, teaming up with Captain Liam Cooper on defence. Meanwhile, Luke Ayling and Junior Firpo have chosen themselves as line-backs, with Elan Mesler ensuring in goal.

Up front in midfield, Stewart Dallas will return to his midfield role after being deployed as a left-back in the first half of the game against Manchester United last weekend. Dallas will accompany Matthews Klitsch in the center of the advanced midfield, with Rodrigo Moreno relegated to the bench.

The creative impulse will flow not only from Dallas and Clic but also from Ravenha, who will be a thorn in the side of Everton, as he takes on experienced Lucas Digne on their flank. On the left side, Jack Harrison will bring more frankness to play, with Patrick Bamford leading Leeds’ streak against Everton.

Possible lineup (4-1-4-1): Maysler; Ayling, Koch, Cooper, Firpo; Phillips. Ravenha, Clish; Dallas, Harrison; Bamford

Everton

Like his Leeds United dugout counterpart, Rafael Benitez has had no new roster issues hampering his preparations ahead of the trip to Elland Road. On Saturday, the Everton boss will have to lay off up to four first-team players.

The main absentee is James Rodriguez, whose future is still highly speculated. In addition to the Colombia international, the likes of Ben Godfrey, Jean-Philippe Gbamin and Andre Gomes are also unavailable for Everton.

Jordan Pickford will be the man to swing between the sticks, as Everton line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Leeds. Mason Holgate and Michael Keane should form a central defensive partnership, with Lucas Digne and Seamus Coleman being the visitors’ linebackers.

Up front in midfield, Abdoulaye Doukuri and Alain will form a fairly strong double pivot, with the former also often advanced to create an overload in the final third. However, the key men at Everton will always be Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, backed by Demarai Gray and Andros Townsend.

Possible lineup (4-2-3-1): Pickford; Coleman, Kane; Holgate, Dean; Allan, Ducor; Townsend, Gray, Richarlison; Calvert Lewin

Key stats The away team won both league games between Leeds and Everton last season, with Leeds winning 1-0 at Goodison Park and Everton winning 2-1 at Island Road. Prior to this, the away team had won just one of the previous 27 Premier League encounters between the two teams, and Everton are looking to win back-to-back away matches against Leeds for the first time ever on their 54th visit to Elland Road. Leeds United have lost their first home game in only one of their last 16 seasons at this level (W10 D5), losing 2-0 to Sheffield Wednesday in 1996-97 under Howard Wilkinson. Open two matches for the First Division campaign since 1980/81; The Whites lost 5-1 to Manchester United in the first round of the first round, Everton kept clean sheets in six of their last eight Premier League away games, despite their 5-0 defeat in the last game. However, the Toffees also failed to score in four of the last six road goals in the competition.

Embed from Getty Images

After the horrific display against Manchester United last week, Marcelo Bielsa is likely to pull many of his stars and demand a big performance from them. Patrick Bamford is one player likely to have pinched joints, whose name was not revealed in the season opener.

While Manchester United have been strong defensively, Everton are likely to offer better offensive opportunities, even if they are stubborn at the back. Thus, the onus will be on Bamford to make better use of his movement to not only bring those behind him into the game but also make better openings for himself. Great game for Bamford to get up and run.

Prediction: Leeds United 2-1 Everton

Judging by their respective performances last week, Everton will imagine their chances of continuing their perfect start to the season. However, Marcelo Bielsa is nothing if not a quick learner and, having shown a penchant for making defensive improvements for his team in the second half of the season, we can expect the Leeds United boss to make corrections faster this term.

Calvin Phillips’ return will greatly enhance the prospects for the white team, as will Stewart Dallas’ return to midfield. Having said that, some defensive issues for Leeds will bring Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison into the game, and the Everton duo will likely be in action throughout the competition.

Ultimately, the game will hinge on the best of margins, as Raphinha will likely be the man who makes all the difference. Thus, the difficult intervention predicts a 2-1 victory for Leeds United, who are preparing to fight the 2021/22 season in the process.

.

[ad_2]