Everton V Southampton at Goodison Park : Match Preview

Everton V Southampton - view commentary, squad, and statistics of the game live.Injury woes for Everton ahead of clash with SouthamptonEverton may be without seven first-team players including Romelu Lukaku and Ross Barkley as they look to remedy their poor home form against Southampton.Only bottom-of-the-table Aston Villa have fewer points than the Toffees when playing in their own stadium this season as just 16 of their total haul of 40 points have come at Goodison Park.They will attempt to record just a fifth home win in the Barclays Premier League this term against Saints on Saturday with a squad that has been stretched by injuries and suspension.Phil Jagielka and Tom Cleverley are not yet ready to return, while James McCarthy is suspended following his dismissal against Crystal Palace in a game that saw Leighton Baines, Aaron Lennon, Barkley and Lukaku all pick up knocks."Leighton Baines, Aaron Lennon and Ross Barkley will be assessed; they picked up some knocks against Crystal Palace," manager Roberto Martinez said."Obviously James McCarthy will be missing. Romelu Lukaku has been carrying a little bit of a problem, we're going to assess him today if he can make the squad or not."In the Crystal Palace game he stretched for an action in the second half and he felt his groin slightly. He didn't train yesterday and we're hoping he can train today and we'll assess him from there."I don't think any of those is a long-term injury, they are more the effect of a big amount of games in this period and it's probably a question of hours rather than weeks." Ronald Koeman believes Southampton can make a late dash for Champions League qualification but says they must win their next two away matches. Saturday's clash at Everton is followed by a trip to struggling Aston Villa a week later and six points could fire Koeman's side back into contention for the top four. Saints currently sit seventh in the table and seven points behind Manchester City, who also have a game in hand, but recent form would suggest fourth place is not quite out of reach. Only defeat to Leicester has prevented them taking maximum points from their last four matches and Koeman believes the next two games could prove pivotal. "It's true we have stayed close to them (the top four) but if we show a better away form then we can do it," Koeman said. "That's the difference between our home games and our away games. We need to improve. If we can win both our away games we will have a good end of the season for sure." European football looks beyond Everton, whose bid to challenge the elite has been undermined by poor performances at Goodison Park. Roberto Martinez's side have the fourth best away record in the division but if the league was decided on results at home, the Toffees would be 19th. "They have had a good away run but found it difficult at home," Koeman said. "If you start the game well maybe the home crowd isn't so supportive as normal. I still think the manager is doing a good job. "How they like to play good football, the shape of the team - they still have a chance to win a title. They have a semi-final against Manchester United at Wembley and it's a great chance for them to play in an FA Cup final. "But it is true the team look more comfortable away than at home. When we played them at home they had very good organisation, defensively very strong, very fast and good counter attack. "At home you need to play more open and attack more and maybe you get punished more by the opponent when you leave spaces to play."

Source: PAR