Rafa Benitez takes charge of his first competitive Everton fixture after pre-season when he welcomes Ralph Hasenhuttl’s Southampton to Merseyside on Saturday.
The 3pm kick-off marks the start of a campaign that has rested off a turbulent summer period that saw a multitude of managers linked with the Everton job after Carlo Ancelotti’s surprise exit for Real Madrid.
Financial restrictions, fan unease and a quiet transfer window have all formed core issues for fans in recent months, though the weekend’s round of kick-offs marks the turning of a new page in a new era under Benitez.
Fans will be hoping that Benitez can get off to a fast start and prove doubters wrong – with the Saints representing a fair chance to get off to winning ways.
Last season, both Southampton and Everton won their home fixtures against one another, with March’s clash between both sides boiling down to a Richarlison goal to separate the two sides.
Conversely, a host of Sky Sports pundits have issued their predictions ahead of the clash – with Everton coming out favourably in the views of the likes of Chris Kamara and Jeff Stelling.
Both men predicted Everton wins with scorelines of 1-0 and 3-0 respectively, whilst Laura Woods also predicted a victory for Everton but backed the Saints to find the net in a 2-1 Toffees win.
Neil Mellor went for a more conservative 0-0 stalemate between the two outfits.
Read Everton Verdict
The outsider view certainly appears to favour a positive result for Everton, and such a result actualising could help to settle nerves around Goodison Park.
However, the Saints will be no pushovers.
Hasenhuttl’s side has recruited young talents in the likes of Adam Armstrong and Romain Perraud that could inject pace and quality at both ends of the pitch.
