Big-spending Everton to shine on Thursday
Published:
Toffees begin their Europa League adventure
Ronald Koeman’s new-look Everton side embark on their European adventure when welcoming Slovakian side Ruzomberok to Goodison Park on Thursday in the qualifying third round of the Europa League.
Set for an 8.05pm kick-off, ITV4 bring us all the action live, and you can spice up your viewing with a winning bet at Coral. Will one of the new recruits score first? Will Everton win to nil? Will it be a cricket score, as expected? Click here to have your say.
Koeman’s side to fight on all fronts
Few teams in European football have been as active as Everton during the summer transfer window, and no side has been more ambitious. Losing leading scorer Romelu Lukaku to Manchester United would’ve been a blow for most, but The Toffees board have been more than happy to reinvest all of the £75m back into the playing squad, and more on top.
Summer captures include returning hero Wayne Rooney, Jordan Pickford, Davy Klaassen, Michael Keane, Sandro Ramirez and Cuco Martina. Great work, but more is expected, and they recently had a £40m bid for Swansea midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson rejected. Koeman is building a side capable of improving on last season’s Premier League finish, while making a dent in the domestic cup competitions and Europa League.
Over 3.5 goals worth a play
Viewed as little more than an inconvenience by English clubs for a long time, Manchester United showed us a new way to approach European football’s second competition, winning it last season to gain entry into this year’s Champions League, avoiding a competitive top-four Premier League race in the process. Climbing a place or two in the English top-flight will be the club’s number one priority, but this tournament offers an added interest, and they certainly have the strength in depth needed to compete. They are 25/1 to win the Europa League.
It’ll come as no surprise to see Coral traders mark an Everton win over Ruzomberok as hot favourite, 1/11 available at the time of writing. One for big-hitters, perhaps, but there’s more than enough to give us an interest on Thursday. The Toffees -2 in the handicap market is worth a look at 10/11, and we’d be surprised if that didn’t land you a winner. Thinking along the same lines, the game producing over 3.5 goals is our ace play at even money.
