Everton vs. Southampton: Pre-match talking points – 18/08/18

This afternoon Southampton travel to Goodison Park to face an Everton side who also drew their opening game of the Premier League campaign.

After much optimism, the Saints were held to a goalless stalemate by Burnley last Sunday, and will be desperate to get that confidence-boosting victory their supporters are craving.

Everton meanwhile twice took the lead against promoted Wolves before eventually drawing 2-2, with a goal and an assist from Ruben Neves sinking Marco Silva’s hopes of victory in his first competitive game in charge of the Toffees.

Both sides will be keen to get points on the board as they have relatively kind starts to the season – it’s over four weeks before Everton face one of the big six in Arsenal and the same goes for the Saints, who face Liverpool on the 22nd of next month.

Silva’s side will want nothing less than European football this season meaning they’ll have to finish seventh to guarantee it, whilst Southampton will simply be hoping for a less relegation-threatened and stressful season than the one has just passed. Both are totally achievable targets, but that doesn’t mean the game today is easy to call.

So what three talking points should be brought up before the 3PM kick-off?