Everton will be expecting an easier game this week against Swansea City after their 5-0 embarrassment at Stamford Bridge in the last league game. Koeman would want a win here especially with chances of Manchester United, who are just above them, dropping points in their big match against Arsenal early on Saturday.
Swansea have been disastrous this season, reeling at the 19th position as compared to Everton but the Toffees have not won any of their last 4 Premier League games against Swansea. Hence, this fixture is no less tricky for the Toffees. But with Swansea going winless in their last 10 games, Everton are perhaps the favourites.
Here are 3 key battles in the game that are likely to be interesting and impactful in the game.
Idrissa Gueye vs Leroy Fer
Perhaps the most interesting performers for their respective clubs at the moment, both play at the heart of the midfield and has been brilliant in their positions. Idrissa Gueye will be returning from his 1 match suspension owing to 5 yellows and with Gareth Barry suspended, the Senegal international will have a huge task at the centre of the action. Although Gueye has scored no goals this season, he has created 10 chances and one assist so far. He has completed 528 passes this season with a pass accuracy of 88%, of which 65% were forward passes.
Leroy Fer, on the other hand, has scored four goals this season, creating four chances. Fer has completed 336 passes this season with a pass accuracy of 82%, of which 67% were forward passes. Fer will be the more attacking of the two, so Gueye will have to keep his opponent in check.
Gylfi Sigurdsson vs Ashley Williams
Sigurdsson has been one of the best performers for the lacklustre Swansea City side this season. Playing behind the striker, he has produced the most number of assists for Swansea so far and Bob Bradley will again be expecting a similar performance from the Iceland international. He has scored two goals this season, creating 16 chances and three assists. He has also completed 209 passes this season with a pass accuracy of 76%, of which 71% were forward passes.
Although Ashley Williams has not been at his best for Everton so far, he is expected to wipe away all jitters and play well against his former club. The Wales international has won 10 tackles this season with a success rate of 40%. He has made 13 interceptions, 77 clearances and 10 blocks.
Romelu Lukaku vs Mike Van der Hoorn
A pretty straight forward battle, it will be between the centre-forward and centre-back. Lukaku has scored seven goals this season, and registered three assists. He has a shot accuracy of 77% and is pretty deadly in front of goal.
Hoorn has been poor so far, winning only four tackles this season with a success rate of 27%. He has made 13 interceptions, 36 clearances and four blocks. He will need to close up the spaces against the Belgian.
