MX23RW : Friday, April 19 06:39:08| >> :120:22155:22155:
[monks data]
Everton logo
Premier League
Mar 22, 2014 at 3pm UK
 
Swansea logo

3-2

Baines (19' pen.), Lukaku (53'), Barkley (58')
FT(HT: 1-1)
Bony (33'), Williams (92')

Preview: Everton vs. Swansea City

Sports Mole previews the Premier League clash between Everton and Swansea at Goodison Park as the Toffees look to improve their chances of European qualification.

Everton will be aiming to boost their hopes of European qualification with a second consecutive win against South Wales opposition when Swansea City visit on Saturday.

Last weekend, Seamus Coleman struck in stoppage time to earn the Toffees a 2-1 win over Cardiff City, which saw them climb to sixth in the Premier League table.

Roberto Martinez's side have games in hand on the teams around them, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, and will go above fifth-placed Spurs with victory over the Swans.

Everton have only lost once at Goodison Park this season and with Swansea winless in four games and without league success on the road since November, there is room for the Merseysiders to be optimistic.

Loan striker Lacina Traore, who has yet to play a top-flight game since arriving from Monaco, is "ahead of schedule" in his recovery from a hamstring problem, but is not expected to be fit until late April.

Steven Pienaar has a knee injury and is another who faces several more weeks on the sidelines, while Arouna Kone, Darron Gibson and Bryan Oviedo all remain long-term absentees.

Phil Jagielka could be back to captain the side in central defence after missing their last four matches. Both he and Gareth Barry, who has a slight calf strain, face late fitness tests ahead of this weekend.

England World Cup hopeful Ross Barkley will likely have to settle for a place on the bench, but another bright young talent, Gerard Deulofeu, should be maintained in the starting XI after scoring against Cardiff.

Swansea manager Garry Monk has stressed that it would be asking a lot of star striker Michu to fire them away from relegation trouble upon his recent return from a three-month layoff.

Their 22-goal top goalscorer from last season made a 30-minute cameo appearance in the 2-1 home defeat to West Bromwich Albion last Saturday, which leaves the Welsh outfit only four points above safety.

Thus, Monk is unlikely to throw Michu into his starting XI at Everton and so Wilfried Bony will continue to operate alone up front, with support coming from wingers Roland Lamah and Wayne Routledge.

Nathan Dyer may be fit to feature as a substitute, but Jonjo Shelvey and Kyle Bartley are definitely out for the Swans, who are also missing centre-back Chico as he continues to serve a suspension.

Recent form

Everton: WLWLWL

Swansea: LDLLDL

Possible starting lineups

Everton: Howard; Coleman, Jagielka, Distin, Baines; Barry, McCarthy; Deulofeu, Osman, Mirallas; Lukaku

Swansea: Vorm; Rangel, Amat, Williams, Davies; Canas, Britton, De Guzman; Lamah, Routledge; Bony

Sports Mole says: 2-0


ID:145317: cacheID:145317:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:6271:No Data Analysis info

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Restore Data
Share this article now:
Cardiff City player Steven Caulker celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Barclays Premier league match between Cardiff City and Fulham at Cardiff City Stadium on March 8, 2014
Read Next:
Preview: Everton vs. Cardiff
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City32227376324473
2Arsenal32225575264971
3Liverpool32218372314171
4Aston Villa33196868491963
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs32186865491660
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle321551269521750
7Manchester UnitedMan Utd32155124748-150
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham33139115258-648
9Chelsea31138106152947
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton321111105250244
11Wolverhampton WanderersWolves32127134651-543
12Fulham33126154951-242
13Bournemouth32119124757-1042
14Crystal Palace3289153754-1733
15Brentford3388174758-1132
16Everton3298153248-1627
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3379174258-1626
18Luton TownLuton3367204670-2425
19Burnley3348213368-3520
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd3237223084-5416


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!