Mark Lawrenson predicts Everton v Leicester, slates Koeman’s side
By Amir Mir
Mark Lawrenson has predicted Everton to lose their Premier League fixture 2-0 against Leicester City on Sunday afternoon at Goodison Park.
BBC Sports pundit Lawrenson slated the Toffees for not beating Manchester United in midweek despite producing a much-improved performance from their last outing.
Lawrenson believes Ronald Koeman’s side were “poor” during their 2-1 defeat against Liverpool last Saturday and believes they should have done more on the counter-attack during their 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.
The Merseyside club conceded a stoppage time penalty which was duly converted by United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Ahead of their game against the in-form Foxes, former Liverpool centre-back Lawrenson offered his thoughts on the match.
“Everton were much improved at Old Trafford after their poor performance at the weekend in the Merseyside derby,” Lawrenson told BBC Sports. “They should have beaten Manchester United and maybe would have done if they had made the most of the counter-attacks they had in the second half.
“But the Toffees have already had a tough week and Ashley Williams’ suspension means they are without another key player at the back.
“This is not a good time to play Leicester, who look unstoppable at the moment. The Foxes have got their swagger back and I think they will win.”
Despite recent poor results, Koeman’s side have been brilliant in front of their own supporters during this campaign.
They have picked up six wins on the bounce at Goodison Park, scoring 22 goals and recording five clean sheets.
One of those victories includes an impressive 4-0 win against Champions League chasers Manchester City.
Despite the impressive home form in the league, Leicester did travel to Merseyside and knock Everton out of the FA Cup in January.
During that match, striker Ahmed Musa’s brace cancelled out Ronald Lukaku’s goal as stand-in manager Craig Shakespeare will be hoping his team can produce that same type of performance.
In other Everton news, Michael Owen has offered his prediction for the Toffees’ clash against Leicester.
We’ve launched a << BREAKING NEWS FEED>> exclusively for your club. ‘Like Us’ on Facebook by clicking here if you want 24/7 updates on all Everton breaking news.