Everton vs Norwich City preview, predictions & possible XIs
Everton host Norwich City on Saturday in a must-win encounter for Marco Silva’s men.
The Toffees sealed a vital 2-1 victory over fellow strugglers Southampton before the international break and with a run of fixtures featuring Leicester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Man Utd and Arsenal to come, three points against the Canaries is non-negotiable.
But while Everton’s situation seems precarious, things are becoming quite desperate for Norwich. Daniel Farke’s men have taken just one point from their seven games since a shock win over Man City in September and are now rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table.
There’s everything to play for and all to lose at Goodison Park on Saturday. Read on for our preview, predictions, team news and predicted XIs.
When is Everton v Norwich and where can I watch live?
Competition: Premier League
Venue: Goodison Park
Date: Saturday, 23 November 2019
Kick-off: 3:00 PM (UK time)
TV coverage (UK): N/A
Last five meetings: Everton v Norwich
20 Sep 2016: Everton 0-2 Norwich (League Cup)
15 May 2016: Everton 3-0 Norwich (Premier League)
12 Dec 2015: Norwich 1-1 Everton (Premier League)
27 Oct 2015: Everton 1-1 Norwich (4-3 pens) (League Cup)
11 Jan 2014: Everton 2-0 Norwich (Premier League)
Aggregate Score: Everton (LWDDW) 7-4 Norwich (WLDDL)
Ones to watch
Everton: Tom Davies
Andre Gomes’ injury against Tottenham was a real body blow to Everton, while fellow midfielders Jean-Philippe Gbamin and Fabian Delph continue to struggle for consistent fitness.
However, Tom Davies stepped into the breach brilliantly against Spurs and Southampton, putting in confident and assured performances, as well as scoring the winning goal in the latter. Davies has the potential to be one of the best players at Everton, if not one of the strongest midfielders in the Premier League. He’ll need to show that again on Saturday.
Key stat: No player made more interceptions than Davies (3) during Everton’s 2-1 win over Southampton.
Norwich: Emiliano Buendia
Norwich have been horrific since their win over Man City but Emiliano Buendia continues to impress for the Canaries.
Sure, his early error led to Watford’s opening goal before the international break but even during this wretched run, Buendia’s delivery continues to give Farke hope that the likes of Teemu Pukki will rediscover their scoring touch.
Key stat: Buendia has created the fourth-highest number of chances (28) in the Premier League this season.
Team news
Everton
Fabian Delph and Michael Keane both missed the international break and are doubts for Saturday’s game.
Bernard remains sidelined, while Gomes and Gbamin will both also miss out for some time.
Predicted XI: Pickford; Sidibe, Holgate, Mina, Digne; Davies, Schneiderlin; Richarlison, Iwobi, Walcott; Tosun.
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Norwich
Jamal Lewis, Grant Hanley, Christoph Zimmermann, Mario Vrancic, Kenny McLean and Josip Drmic are all doubts for the trip to Goodison Park as Farke continues to wrestle with horrendous injury problems.
Predicted XI: Krul; Aarons, Godfrey, Amadou, Lewis; Trybull, Tettey; Buendia, Stiepermann, Hernandez; Pukki.
Squawka prediction
Both sides need the points here but with the run of games Everton have coming up, there is bound to be a real sense of urgency around Goodison Park.
The Toffees will still be high on confidence after their late equaliser against Spurs and away win at Southampton and should have enough to crush Norwich on home soil.
Scoreline prediction: Everton 3-1 Norwich
