Everton will look to continue their unbeaten start to the season on Saturday afternoon when they play host to Stoke City at Goodison Park.

The Merseyside outfit have not had the best time of things in this fixture of late, however, and the visitors will be desperate to get their own league campaign up and running following a rather sluggish start.

Everton

© Getty Images

It has been a positive start to life on Merseyside for Ronald Koeman on the whole, having claimed four points from a possible six - including a solid 2-1 win at West Bromwich Albion last time out - to gently ease into life in his new surroundings.

The Toffees needed that victory at The Hawthorns last Saturday to keep the feel-good factor in place, following on from a positive opening-day point gained from their home meeting with Tottenham Hotspur seven days prior.

Koeman, plucked from Southampton in the summer to replace the underwhelming Roberto Martinez, is still desperately looking to add to his squad before the end of the transfer window but is so far finding life tough on that front.

Numerous players have been linked over the past week, including the likes of Yacine Brahimi, Salvatore Sirigu and Lucas Perez, as the Dutchman looks to build on the signings of Ashley Williams, Yannick Bolasie and Idrissa Gueye during his first summer at the helm.

Maarten Stekelenburg has also been brought in for a minimal fee to temporarily fill in between the sticks, yet he may now been turned to for the long term as a swoop for Manchester City's Joe Hart is off the cards for the time being, Koeman all but ruling out a move for the Englishman during his pre-match press conference.

Everton will just be looking to stamp their authority on things in the early weeks of the season, helped by a favourable run of fixtures overall, with the 4-0 thrashing of Yeovil Town in the League Cup - and the much-needed minutes given to certain players - ensuring that Koeman's side remain well on course to achieving that.

Arguably more important than any new arrival over the next week, however, is getting striker Romelu Lukaku back fit and firing after it emerged that he intends to remain at Goodison Park for another season at least.

The Belgium international added pace and power when turned to from the bench last weekend, but he had a poor time of it in front of goal in the win over Yeovil when missing a few chances, making it a career-long run of 10 games without a goal, which Koeman insists is not a concern for him at this point.

As one of only seven unbeaten teams left in the top flight at this early stage, Everton now have another chance to put three more points on the board to prove that they are no longer content with being mid-table also-rans under this new and exciting regime.

Recent form in Premier League: DW
Recent form (all competitions): DWW

Stoke City

© Getty Images

One point from the opening six on offer is hardly a great way for Mark Hughes to begin his fourth season at the bet365 Stadium, but the Welshman is experienced enough to know that it is far too early to begin panicking.

City were poor for large parts of their opener at newly-promoted Middlesbrough a fortnight ago, slowly getting back into the game but not deserving anything more than the 1-1 draw which was secured thanks to Xherdan Shaqiri's set-piece brilliance.

It could also be argued that Stoke were a tad unlucky in their defeat to Manchester City last time out, having conceded an unfortunate penalty which Sergio Aguero converted, before working their way back into the game once falling two behind.

Only a late Nolito brace turned a credible defeat - if there is such a thing in the Premier League - into what looks like, on the face of it, a thrashing at the hands of a Man City side that looks well set to challenge for the title once again this term.

Hughes knows full well that new faces are required, though, and the 52-year-old is still desperately trying to lure Saido Berahino to Staffordshire to provide goals on a consistent basis, while Phil Jones is another confirmed target at the back.

Deals for both appear to be at different stages at this point, with any sort of move for West Brom's Berahino looking 'unlikely' in the words of Hughes and Jones's current status at Manchester United not truly known heading into the final days of the window.

The worry for Stoke, who have so far added only Joe Allen and Ramadan Sobhi to their ranks this summer, is that they have forgotten how to win games - just two from their last 12 stretching into last season showing form of a side that will likely struggle to replicate three ninth-place finishes on the bounce.

That run includes just 10 points from a possible 36 on offer, highlighting the need for more new players - and a settled starting lineup - if Hughes is to replicate or indeed better his previous impressive finishes at the club since taking over three years ago.

Recent form in Premier League: DL
Recent form (all competitions): DLW

Team News

© Getty Images

Bolasie and Williams made their full debuts in the midweek win over Yeovil, and both could well be thrown into the mix for the visit of Stoke on Saturday.

Williams's £12m arrival from Swansea City was a shrewd piece of dealing by Koeman, who could include the Wales Euro 2016 star in the heart of a five-man defence, moving Mason Holgate to the right.

Darron Gibson, Tom Cleverley and James McCarthy are all doubtful, meanwhile, although the good news for the Toffees is that Lukaku now appears ready to start a Premier League game for the first time this season.

Stoke could call upon Jonathan Walters up top should Hughes wish to change things around slightly, but the Irishman has now gone 11 games without a goal against Everton - his joint-longest such run against a top-flight opponent.

Jack Butland is still a major doubt but is on course for a return following the international break, while Bojan Krkic, Mame Biram Diouf and Marko Arnautovic are the three men in contention to be given the nod up top despite Peter Crouch's midweek treble.

Everton possible starting lineup:
Stekelenburg; Holgate, Jagielka, Williams, Funes Mori, Baines; Gueye, Barry; Bolasie, Lukaku, Barkley

Stoke City possible starting lineup:
Given; Bardsley, Wollscheid, Shawcross, Pieters; Allen, Whelan, Imbula; Bojan, Diouf, Arnautovic

Head To Head

Stoke have won on three of their last four visits to Goodison Park, including the last two meetings between the pair on Merseyside.

Everton have scored exactly three goals in the last two matches, losing 4-3 in the corresponding fixture last season in what turned out be a thriller.

Lukaku in particular likes facing City, with three goals in his last two outings against the Potters following a run of just one in his previous six.

We say: Everton 1-0 Stoke City

Stoke have yet to truly get going this season, while Everton have made a solid start to life under Koeman and could head into the two-week hiatus sitting at the top of the Premier League pile should results go their way. This will be another tough test for the Toffees, though, and one that they will only likely win should they finally get Lukaku back to scoring ways following his recent drought.

Previews by email