Both Everton and West Bromwich Albion suffered defeats in their previous fixtures and will be desperate to recover the lost ground in the next match. The Baggies were on a string of good performances but their winning run has been halted by a seemingly revived Crystal Palace. Goals from Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend sealed the second victory on the trot for the Eagles.
Everton were also in the midst of an excellent run but the defeat against Tottenham Hotspur came as a dampener. In a topsy-turvy match, Everton eventually lost to Spurs 3-2.
Both the Toffees and the Baggies will be pushing for a win but Everton will have a slight edge as they have won all their last four Premier League games at the Goodison Park.
But then again they have failed to clinch a win in the last three home matches against West Brom and keeping that in mind Koeman would be looking to attack from the very first moment. With only four points separating the teams, both the managers will go all out to secure a victory.
Other than Yannick Bolasie and Muhamed Besic, Ronald Koeman almost has a full squad at his disposal. Enner Valencia and Kevin Mirallas are the other alternatives if he does go for a change in the starting lineup, especially up front.
Predicted 4-3-2-1 Everton Lineup VS West Bromwich Albion
Defence
Despite having conceded three goals, Koeman should stick with Joel Robles in the Toffees goal. The Spaniard has so far put in a decent shift keeping Maarten Stekelenburg out of the starting lineup.
Ramiro Funes Mori and Ashley Williams will be tasked with keeping the Baggies’ attackers from scoring goals.
Leighton Baines and Seamus Coleman should start on either side of the defence and will have to restrict the opposition wingers from having much joy.
Midfield
Morgan Schneiderlin will be in the defensive midfield position. Gareth Barry and Idrissa Gueye will have the responsibility to keep a hold on proceedings in central midfield. Gueye will have the license to make forays into the opposition half.
Attack
Youngster Tom Davies and Ross Barkley are likely to start as the two attacking midfielders. Barkley has improved a lot in this advanced role and will look to carry on his good form.
Romelu Lukaku will be spearheading the attacking line. The Belgian has been in red-hot form and the Baggies’ defence will have a tough time dealing with him.
