Everton vs Southampton odds | stats and key players to watch

Saturday 18th August

Kick-off: 15:00

Stadium: Goodison Park, Liverpool

Everton vs Southampton odds

Marco Silva’s men are 19/20 for victory in the Everton vs Southampton odds as both sides vie for a first win of the campaign, with a Saints success priced up at 16/5 and the draw betting at 9/4.

The William Hill traders anticipate a tight encounter at Goodison, with under 2.5 total match goals on offer at 8/13 and ‘yes’ the EVS outsider in the both teams to score betting.

Everton vs Southampton team news

Toffees captain Phil Jagielka is suspended for three games following his straight red card against Wolverhampton Wanderers and loan signing Kurt Zouma could replace him against Southampton.

Bernard has recovered from the injury that kept him out since March, but will take some time to reach full fitness, while the boys from Barcelona, Andre Gomes and Yerry Mina, are not understood to be match-ready yet.

Mark Hughes is likely to have a full squad to choose from, with Stuart Armstong and Maya Yoshida the only slight doubts, with a knock and match fitness issues respectively.

Everton vs Southampton betting tips and predictions

Both Everton manager Silva and his Southampton counterpart claimed points in their Premier League openers, but it’s likely the Toffees gaffer would’ve drawn more satisfaction from his result.

The Portuguese inherited a side that won just three league games on the road last term, but were left rueing Jagielka’s 40th-minute red, after only relinquishing a 2-1 lead with ten minutes remaining at Molineux.

Such a heartening away showing bodes well upon their return to Goodison, where they’ve lost just two of their last 13 games, landing the win odds in seven of those.

Whether new broom Silva has imbued his men with enough incisiveness to make the home win the Everton vs Southampton odds pick is the punting pivot upon which betting on the match hinges.

Last term, the St Mary’s side drew a division-high 15 times, with one of their eight road stalemates coming at the ground where they contest this encounter.

Meanwhile, their 0-0 opening day draw at home to Burnley meant they’ve recorded 13 goalless draws since the start of 2016/17, four more than any other side during that timeframe.

Another double-bagel against the Toffees is available at correct score odds of 7/1, but the 9/4 available about equilibrium of any stripe looks the safer play here, with no side outside last term’s top seven able to shut out the hosts at Goodison Park in 2017/18.

The Everton vs Southampton odds have a repeat of May’s 1-1 between the sides as 24/5 favourite in the correct score betting and that looks just about spot on from the trading room theorists.

Key players to watch

Richarlison landed enhanced anytime scorer odds of 4/1 on his debut for followers of these pages and the boyish Brazilian is 13/5 to net his first home goal for his new club and 7/1 to bag first.

Elsewhere among the Everton vs Southampton odds, last summer’s big-money buy Gylfi Sigurdsson also appeals at 3/1 to net anytime or 8/1 to fire the opener with the latter being our betting prediction tip.

The Icelandic maestro has a strong goals-to-games ratio against the Saints, notching four times in seven meetings with the south coast club.

Charlie Austin has a similarly good record against the Toffees, having scored in each of his three Premier League meetings with them, but his fellow former-Burnley goal machine Danny Ings is the man of the moment for the visitors.

At first goalscorer odds of 7/1, compared to the 9/2 about Austin, the Liverpool loanee, who enjoyed an immensely promising debut for his new club last week, looks like value pick to get Southampton’s goal here.