Breaking team news as Southampton travel to Everton in Premier League

Southampton travel to Everton this afternoon in the opening weekend of the new Premier League season.

It is a tough start for Saints on paper given that they have not won a league fixture at Goodison Park since 1997. However, these unwanted records are always there to be broken.

After a summer of change for both clubs, with a big switch in players for Saints and Rafa Benitez replacing Carlo Ancelotti for the Toffees, it will be intriguing to see who starts quickest today.

Ahead of the game there was some key team news from both camps that influenced the selections of both managers:

Southampton start with Livramento, Perraud and A. Armstrong

More from Saints Marching

• Grading the Southampton Transfer Window Part 2: Arrivals
• Grading the Southampton Transfer Window Part 1: Departures
• It’s time to talk about Gavin Bazunu
• Rain clouds on the horizon? Southampton beat Plymouth Argyle
• A lament for Southampton legend James Ward-Prowse

Saints were boosted by the return to training of James Ward-Prowse and Ralph Hasenhuttl’s captain is put back into the starting line-up after playing in just one of the five pre-season friendlies.

Fans would have been wondering which new signings would be put into the team from the start today after Hasenhuttl hinted that Romain Perraud and Tino Livramento were more prepared because of time spent in training with their new teammates.

Just Will Smallbone is injured from the senior squad of players.

Everton received some good and bad news ahead of facing Saints. Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison were declared fit by manager Rafa Benitez but the Spaniard also revealed some unfortunate Covid-related news.

Five Toffees players will be missing today due to self-isolation, with James Rodriguez the only player named so far. Thankfully, reports yesterday confirmed that this was not an outbreak at the club but was a case of isolated incidents instead.

Headline news from the breaking team line-ups is that Saints start with Tino Livramento, Romain Perraud and Adam Armstrong. James Ward-Prowse also comes back into the team after returning to training last week.

Everton team

Pickford; Coleman, Holgate, Keane, Digne; Allan, Doucoure, Gray, Townsend; Richarlison, Calvert-Lewin

Subs: Begovic, Kenny, Delph, Mina, Iwobi, Gordon, Davies, Branthwaite, Broadhead

Saints team

McCarthy; Livramento, Stephens, Salisu, Perraud; Romeu, Ward-Prowse; Walcott, Djenepo; Adams, A. Armstrong

Subs: Forster, Bednarek, Walker-Peters, Valery, Diallo, S. Armstrong, Tella, Elyounoussi, Redmond