Tony Pulis was off to a dream start to his new Premier League campaign as a lone strike from Salomon Rondon was enough for the Baggies to down Crystal Palace at the Selhurst Park in the first game of the new season for both clubs. Palace looked far from a convincing side on the night as West Brom managed to dominate periods in the game to get a deserving 1-0 victory. However, the manager will have to quickly turn his attention towards the next weekend when his side will face a decent Everton side at home on Saturday. So let’s take a look at the predicted lineup for the Hawthorns outfit for the game against the Toffees.
Team News
The only two injuries for the manager to worry about are Chris Brunt who might not be able to get back to full fitness in time for this game and James Chester, who is still a long way from full recovery. James Morrison will again be expected to take the bench after recovering from injury and finding a few minutes at the end of the previous game. Here is the strongest line up that Pulis can use in the game against Everton this weekend.
Ben Foster
After a decent performance on goal against Crystal Palace where he managed to keep a clean sheet making just one good save, Foster will be expected to start the game against Everton this weekend.
Craig Dawson
Stuck to his task well against Palace but will have to be at his best against an exciting Everton side who will try to take advantage of even the smallest mistakes at the back.
Gareth McAuley
Put in a decent shift at the centre of the defense for Pulis’ side but was hardly tested by an out of form Palace last weekend. He will, however, have a sterner test in the game against Everton this weekend.
Jonas Olsson
Was a man mountain at the back against Crystal Palace as he won almost everything thrown at him on the night and will be an important player for the Baggies if they are to get a result from the Toffees.
Jonny Evans
Subject to a rejected bid from Arsenal, Evans is an important part of the squad at the Hawthorns and will once against start in a makeshift left-back position on Saturday.
Matt Phillips
Another of the star performers for West Brom on the night against Palace, Phillips was superb in the midfield for the Baggies as he made sure that his team kept the ball for long periods in an impressive performance. He will start on the right side of the midfield against Everton.
Darren Fletcher
The experienced midfielder was also a strong presence in the midfield for the Baggies in the last game. He will be responsible for providing cover for his back-four against an exciting Everton attack.
Claudio Yacob
One of Pulis’ favorites in the side, Claudio Yacob, had a decent game against Palace and will start in the midfield alongside Fletcher in the crunch game against Everton this weekend.
Craig Gardner
Playing on the left side of the midfield in a 4-4-2 formation, Gardner was effective not only in the midfield but also in the final third where he was a constant menace for the Palace defenders. He will start in a similar position for the Baggies in the game against Everton.
Saido Berahino
Played as one of the two strikers in Pulis’ 4-4-2 formation but was not as effective as he would have liked to in the previous game. However, he will play an important role in the side in the game against Everton and will be responsible for scoring and creating goals on the night.
Salomon Rondon
The goal-scorer from the previous game, Rondon, has been linked with a move to Barcelona and that will have given him great self-belief that can help him roll over the Everton side this weekend.
