Two squads who allowed four goals during their defeats at the weekend clash on Wednesday as Everton welcome Wolves. Everton suffered a 4-0 loss at Old Trafford on Sunday, but more alarming is their goal drought, as they haven’t scored since late October (D2, L2) and remain the division’s joint-lowest scorers.
Sean Dyche’s team also has a dreadful recent history against Wolves, with five defeats from their last six encounters (D1), including three consecutive home losses, all by one-goal margins. This implies there’s minimal chance of the Toffees ending their five-game winless Premier League streak (D3, L2), although Everton supporters may highlight their unbeaten league run at Goodison Park since September (W1, D3) as a reason for optimism.
Aiming to extend that misery will be a Wolves team who haven’t secured a clean sheet on the road since January and enter the gameweek with the league’s weakest defence. That vulnerability was evident on Saturday when they trailed 3-1 at home within 18 minutes against Bournemouth, ultimately losing 4-2—a result that dropped them back into the relegation zone.
Despite winning their two prior fixtures and starting the weekend unbeaten in four matches, Gary O’Neil faced boos at Molineux, with some fans criticizing his win rate of 33.3%, the poorest of Wolves’ last seven coaches, while demanding his dismissal. However, he remained defiant on Saturday night, vowing to have his players “ready to battle again” on Wednesday, as he hopes to build on their last away triumph, a 4-1 rout of Fulham!
Key players to watch: Ashley Young has failed to deliver a goal or win in any of his last seven encounters against Wolves (D2, L5), though he did assist two of Everton’s last three goals at Goodison Park. Meanwhile, Matheus Cunha has been involved in six goals (G5, A1) across Wolves’ last four away fixtures and thrived in his previous H2H with Everton, scoring once and providing an assist!
