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Everton vs Southampton LIVE commentary and team news: Rafa Benitez kicks off Toffees tenure in Premier League clash
GameDay is back on talkSPORT and we’ll be bringing you more 3pm action this season starting with Everton v Southampton.
Rafa Benitez is set to get his Toffees tenure up and running and it’ll start by hosting the Saints.
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Everton had a difficult season last term, starting superbly before faltering and ultimately finishing in a disappointing tenth.
Benitez will be eager to do better this year and get the Merseysiders into Europe.
Southampton sold Danny Ings earlier this summer and will have to cope without his goals.
The Saints lost at Goodison Park last season as Richarlison secured a 1-0 victory for the hosts.
talkSPORT 2 will be in Walton to bring you this opening weekend Premier League clash live.
Everton v Southampton: How to listen
This match will get under way at 3pm on Saturday, August 14.
Full coverage from Goodison Park will be exclusively live on talkSPORT 2, with our pre-match build-up starting at 2pm.
Dan Windle will be your host and commentary will come from Ian Danter and Perry Groves.
To tune in, click HERE for the live stream.
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Everton v Southampton: Team news
Everton boss Benitez confirmed Dominic Calvert-Lewin will be available after recovering from a small knock.
Richarlison will also be given the chance to feature despite returning late to training after he starred for Brazil at the Olympics.
However, James Rodriguez has been confirmed by Benitez to be in isolation, among four other players that the manager "will not name".
New signings Demarai Gray, Andros Townsend and Asmir Begovic could all start.
For Southampton, Jannik Vestergaard will not feature as his departure was confirmed on Friday.
James Ward-Prowse, who is also be touted with a summer transfer, has a slight knee issue.
New arrivals Romain Perraud, Armando Broja and Adam Armstrong could all make their debuts.
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Everton v Southampton: What’s been said?
Everton boss Rafa Benitez: “It is crucial for players to feel you care about them and want to improve them.
“I have passion one-on-one when I coach them. I think they can feel this passion and will try to make sure next time they can do this or that.
“I go to the head.
“I want them to think, not just to tell them, ‘You have to do that’.
“It is more, ‘Think about that, do you think it is right or wrong?’
“Give them the chance to find the solution, so they will learn for the future.
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“Fundamentally, if you want to improve your team, improve the individuals, then improve the mentality of all of them together.”
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Everton v Southampton: Match stats and facts
- Everton have lost just one of their 22 Premier League home games against Southampton (W15 D6), remaining unbeaten in their last 16 against them at Goodison Park since a 0-2 loss in November 1997.
- Southampton have kept just one clean sheet in their last nine league meetings with Everton (W3 D2 L4), doing so in a 2-0 home victory last season.
- Everton haven’t lost their opening match in any of the last nine Premier League campaigns (W3 D6) since a 0-1 loss against QPR in 2011-12. Four of the Toffees’ six draws on MD1 since then have been 2-2.
- Southampton have won their opening fixture in just one of their last 14 Premier League campaigns (D7 L6), beating West Bromwich Albion 1-0 in 2013-14. Saints have the lowest win rate in opening games of all Premier League sides to play in at least 10 campaigns (9% - won 2/22).
- Everton scored 12 goals in their first four Premier League home games last season, at a rate of three-per-game. However, the Toffees proceeded to net just a further 12 in their subsequent 15 at Goodison Park (0.8 per game).
- Everton have won just two of their last 12 Premier League home games (D3 L7), with both of those victories coming by a 1-0 scoreline (vs Southampton in March and Wolves in May).
- No Premier League team has earned fewer points (17), conceded more goals (49) or lost more games (15) in the competition in 2021 so far than Southampton.
- Rafael Benítez will become just the second man to take charge of both Everton and Liverpool, after William Edward Barclay in the late 19th century. The Spaniard has won three of his four home games against Southampton in the Premier League, drawing the other.
- Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s 16 Premier League goals were worth 16 points to Everton last season, with only Mohamed Salah’s more valuable to their side in 2020-21 (17). Calvert-Lewin scored the Toffees’ winner on MD1 against Tottenham last season.
- James Ward-Prowse was directly involved in 15 goals for Southampton in the Premier League last season, recording both his most goals (8) and most assists (7) in a single campaign in the competition.
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