Prediction & odds for the game: Southampton (19/10) v Everton (7/5)

When: Sunday, 25th October @ 2pm K.O

Where: St Mary’s Stadium

Southampton and Everton will meet in an intriguing clash this weekend as the busy winter Premier League schedule approaches.

Southampton

There’s a real confidence behind this Saints team and a lot of that seems to stem from Ralph Hasenhuttl. The boss has built a team that may not seem like world beaters, but when they’re out there on the pitch, they are capable of giving just about anyone a run for their money. It’s not unrealistic to think they could make a push for the European places, but at the very least, a top half finish should be a mandatory target between now and May.

The losses against Crystal Palace, Brentford and Tottenham left many wondering whether or not this Southampton side would be a major disapponitment this season – but since then, they’ve answered their critics with wins over Burnley & West Brom before a thrilling 3-3 draw against Chelsea.

Everton

Everton may not be title contenders just yet but their start to the season has confirmed that they are well and truly in the hunt for the top six – and perhaps even the top four. Ever since Carlo Ancelotti made his way over to Goodison Park the mentality has shifted, and that positivity has been felt throughout Merseyside and beyond. Now, all they need to do is not allow their renewed success to get to their heads.

One thing you’re guaranteed to get with the Toffees this season is drama. After back-to-back 5-2 wins over West Brom and Fleetwood they edged past Crystal Palace, and then after sticking four past West Ham and Brighton, they went into the derby against Liverpool full of confidence. Sure, they didn’t win it, but they can probably count themselves lucky that they were even able to get a point.

Conclusion

With a few absences expected from Everton we think this could serve as a great opportunity for the Saints to give them a bloody nose. They seem to be brimming with confidence this season and we saw that in their last outing against Chelsea, which is why we feel confident in saying they’ll be able to get a point out of this one. Neither side is particularly solid from a defensive standpoint which should make for an entertaining game, and in the end, a draw will probably be a fair result.

The official prediction we’re going to give is 2-2 – so expect fireworks in a showdown that we’re backing to break the over 2.5 goals boundary. If you don’t believe us, go and take a look at some of the attacking options we’ll see on display.

Verdict: Back the draw at odds of 12/5 and the over 2.5 goals scored at odds of 8/11 (All odds are taken from bet365).

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If you want to bet on Southampton vs Everton then head on over to the betting page. Alternatively, you can check out some of the other available fixtures at the soccer predictions page ahead of what should be an exciting few months of top flight action.