Promoted teams have it tough in the Premier League, and it’s little surprise to see so many of them return after just one season in the top flight. However, all three of this season’s rookies have shown signs that they could extend their stay beyond next May, particularly Stoke City who are in the process of making the Britannia Stadium a fortress.
A 3-2 victory over Aston Villa three weeks ago demonstrated that the Potters will be a tough nut to crack on home soil, with Tony Pulis’ side as hard-working and physical as any other in the division. Indeed, they were unlucky not to nick a point at Middlesbrough, despite being reduced to ten men for much of the match, and the 5/2 (Skybet) about them beating Everton is hard to resist.
After all, this is a Toffees team going through a sticky patch at the moment, and it’s hard to make a case for them triumphing at odds of 13/10 (Paddy Power). Yes, they finished fifth last season, but performances this term have been shaky, with a win and two defeats from their opening three matches. They did manage to win 2-1 at West Brom but, by all accounts, this was a fortunate victory and they could find the going a lot tougher here.
Stoke are a massive 40/1 for another 3-2 win (Sporting Bet), and it could be worth backing goals in this match, considering the teams haven’t got a clean sheet between them. Over 2.5 goals is an even money chance (Ladbrokes), something that has occurred in all six league matches involving either team, while a 2/1 win in favour of the visitors is a 15/2 shot (Sporting Bet).
If David Moyes’ men are to win, it’s likely that Yakubu will be amongst the goals, and the Nigerian is 6/1 (Boylesports) to open the scoring at the Brit, while Louis Saha is 15/8 (bet365) to score on his debut. Team-mate Mikel Arteta (5/1 Skybet) is often deadly from set pieces, while Stoke’s Dave Kitson is getting closer to opening his account and is 11/4 (William Hill) to score. Ricardo Fuller scored a wonder goal against Villa and could reward those who back him at 11/4 (William Hill) to score at any time.