Everton head to Sussex on Saturday to face Brighton and Hove Albion, with Sean Dyche’s side looking for their first win of 2024.
Amadou Onana’s second-half header was enough for the Toffees to rescue a point against Crystal Palace on Monday evening.
Dyche will be hoping for a repeat of last season’s fixture, which saw Everton run out 5-1 winners, in their best performance of 2022/23.
Talking ahead of the fixture, Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson has shared his thoughts on how he sees the clash unfolding at the Amex.
Paul Merson predicts Brighton v Everton result
Everton head to the Amex in poor form and could find life tough if Roberto De Zerbi’s side are at their best.
That’s the view of Merson, who was left shocked by Everton’s turgid performance against Palace.
“I watched Everton last week, and I was quite shocked – they were very poor against Crystal Palace,” he told Sportkeeda.
“The thing with this game is that Everton were poor last year as well, and they won this exact fixture by a 5-1 margin. However, this is a hard game for them, and I don’t see a repeat of last season.”
On Saturday’s fixture, he added: “Brighton need to win as much as Everton do this weekend.
“If their manager wants a job at a bigger club, he needs to bring some consistency into his teams. Brighton are too up and down at the moment.
“Everton were very fortunate against Palace at the end, and I thought that was a very disappointing performance.
“Brighton are the superior force when it comes to passing and movement, and I’m going to back them to win this game. 3-0.”
Everton simply have to improve
Performances, particularly in attacking areas, haven’t been good enough since the turn of the year.
The Toffees have one of the best defensive records in the division but are being held back by a significant lack of quality in the final third.
Dyche simply has to find a way to improve his side going forward. Failure to do so could lead to a nervous end of the season.
Evertonians will be hoping the Amex remains a happy hunting ground. Everton headed south in poor form last season but managed to produce a performance that had been missing for large parts of the campaign.
Something similar on Saturday will send the travelling fans home in a jubilant mood.
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