On Thursday night, supporters of Everton will experience something which they would have never thought they would feel again - seeing Wayne Rooney in their famous blue shirt at Goodison Park. For half a year, reports suggested that an emotional return to Merseyside may have been in the offing but as far as the fans were concerned, it was a case of refusing to believe what they were reading until their prodigal son signed on the dotted line. However, now that the fanfare is over, it is time for business and for Rooney and the Toffees, that starts with trying to come through two qualifying ties in order to reach the group stages of the Europa League.
Unsurprisingly, the betting odds on wincomparator Show the odds are stacked in Everton's favour given their improving stature, but there is still value to be had regarding the number of goals that could be scored. Despite just three pre-season fixtures being played, Everton have already shown an eye for goal against a couple of solid European teams, and with their Slovakian opponents having conceded two goals in two of their last three matches on their travels, it seems unlikely that they will be able to stop Everton from running riot in front of what will be a sold-out crowd. You also have to take into consideration that Everton's fitness will not be at peak level at this stage of the summer, so do not be surprised if they concede on Thursday night. You will have to place a significant bet to generate a sizeable return, but it is worth taking a chance on a team which is blessed with attacking players, despite the exit of Romelu Lukaku. The 'both teams to score' market carries plenty of value too - you can get betting odds of 2/1 for that to occur.
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Going back to Rooney, it is fair to say that he has enjoyed a fine pre-season so far. With Manchester United, he was used to scouring the globe on what were effectively PR exercises to further grow the club's brand but aside from a short trip to Tanzania, he has remained in Europe and contributed a goal during Saturday's 1-1 draw with Genk. Due to the opposition, the odds cannot be classed as favourable but scoring at any point during the match can be had at roughly 7/10. You will not get a lot back from your stake but do we think that Rooney will get on the scoresheet on Thursday night? We think it is likely. The same can be said for summer signing Sandro Ramirez, who already appears to be striking up a relationship with Rooney. He set up his teammate's goal at the weekend, but we fancy him at odds of 7/2 to net a double.
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If you want to look further down the odds for more value, it may be worth taking a punt on Kieran Dowell. The 19-year-old will not necessarily stand out to you because he has only made three first-team appearances for the Toffees, but he is coming off the back of a number of outings for England Under-20s during their World Cup triumph in South Korea. He was not involved at all during the last campaign, but he has managed to net twice during pre-season and his contribution will not have gone unnoticed by manager Ronald Koeman. There is no certainty over a starting role but he can be selected at 11/2 to score the final goal on Thursday night. Set-piece king Leighton Baines is available at 12/1 for first goalscorer, too. That is another selection which should be considered.
As far as the match odds are concerned, we expect you to stay away from the straight Everton win because you will have to bet a substantial stake to get a return, but we do not think that odds of 9/1 are that outrageous for the draw. In terms of quality, Everton are levels above Ruzomberok but as we have already stated, the latter's superior fitness may be the equaliser in more ways than one. Their league campaign is already underway and in the previous two rounds of this competition, they have overturned deficits to run out winners over two legs. Former Bosnian and Herzegovina forward Nermin Haskic could prove to be a handful in attack and will provide an early test for Michael Keane on his competitive Everton debut.
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