On twelve of the past thirteen occasions that these teams have met, there have been two goals or fewer. Indeed, both sides have a reputation for low-scoring matches, and it’s impossible to escape the conclusion that Under 2.5 Goals is the bet to have (1.87 betfair) for Sunday’s televised clash.
Everton have recovered well from their poor start to the season, with David Moyes’ team in seventh place after three wins on the bounce. However, before punters start piling into the 10/11 (Blue Square) about the Toffees for this contest, it’s worth noting that they’ve won just one in six at Goodison Park. They struggled to break down Fulham a fortnight ago, with Louis Saha’s 86th minute winner the only difference between the sides that day.
Middlesbrough will go into this game with confidence after landing a 2-1 victory at Villa Park last Sunday. While the win owed much to defensive lapses from the home team, Gareth Southgate’s men have been handy on the road this term, taking the lead in five of their six away matches but winning only two of them. They’re a 7/2 chance (Boylesports) to land the three points and 5/2 (bet365) to manage a draw. The north-east club haven’t tasted defeat in their last four outings.
Louis Saha is certainly the man of the moment for Everton, with the French striker scoring three goals in his last two matches. He’s 11/2 (Paddy Power) to open the scoring and 7/4 (William Hill) to find the back of the net at some stage. For the visitors, look no further than Tuncay (9/1 Boylesports), who bagged a brace at Villa Park and is certainly one of the most underrated forwards in the Premier League. If you fancy either team to keep a clean sheet, Paddy Power offer 7/5 and 7/2 about the Toffees and Boro respectively.