Everton vs Fulham prediction: ENGLAND: Premier League betting tips on match 2023-08-11 14:00.
Just 76 days after Abdoulaye Doucouré’s stunning strike sealed a 1-0 win and subsequent Premier League (PL) survival for Everton, the Toffees return to Goodison Park looking to kickstart a much brighter campaign than their previous two. They might be buoyed by welcoming Fulham as their opponents, particularly given that their 22 consecutive top-flight home victories against them between 1961 and 2018 remains the longest home winning run of any side in top-flight history. However, the 3-1 defeat to the Cottagers here in April, following a 2-0 loss to the same opponents two seasons ago, suggests the London side might have shaken off that psychological hold.
Everton have only added veteran Ashley Young and loanee Arnaut Danjuma to their ranks over the summer so far, but Sean Dyche’s men should be confident on the back of an unbeaten pre-season (W4, D1), which included a 1-0 scalp of Portuguese giants Sporting CP last week. The Merseysiders did also win their final game of the last pre-season before falling to a 1-0 home defeat on the opening day against Chelsea, yet Evertonians might take some comfort from the fact that that was their first opening-day reverse in 11 years (W4, D6).
Fulham fans would have hoped that last season’s top-ten finish could have laid the foundations for a European push this year. Yet, it’s been a messy pre-season at Craven Cottage, predominantly due to unrelenting interest in several of their best assets from Saudi Arabian sides, with head coach Marco Silva, talisman Aleksandar Mitrović and winger Willian – who reportedly agreed a contract with Al-Shabab last week despite signing a new deal with Fulham this summer – all the subject of big offers from the Middle East.
After a mixed pre-season (W2, L2) amid this chaotic backdrop, Silva needs to focus his side for what could prove a tricky contest made worse by the Cottagers’ unremarkable opening-day record. It’s been ten years since Fulham last won an opening PL game, while they've managed just one success in any division in such a game since (D4, L4).
Players to watch: New Everton recruit Young made his PL debut at Goodison Park way back in 2006 and notably scored his first-ever PL goals against Fulham in the same season. One of Willian’s ten PL goal contributions for Fulham (G5, A5) came in this fixture last season when he clocked a second half assist.
Hot stat: Everton have twice previously played Fulham in their opening home league game of a season (1963/64, 2003/04) – they won on both occasions, scoring exactly three goals in each.