da imperador bet： Everton manager Ronald Koeman will face old club Southampton at St Mary’s in the Premier League this weekend.
da jogodeouro： Koeman returns to a club where he had great success, having recorded seventh and sixth place finishes in his two seasons on the south coast, although he may not get the friendliest reception after leaving for Goodison Park over the summer.
The Toffees are seventh in the league this season but have only won one of their last eight in the league and failed to beat struggling Swansea City last weekend.
The Saints aren’t in the best of form either and are down in 11th after one victory in sixth, although they will take some positives from a 0-0 draw against a Liverpool side who have scored the most goals in the league so far.
Southampton will be desperate to show they’re better off without Koeman, while Everton know they need a win to get back in the fight for Europe.
Here are three key battles which could decide the game.
ORIOL ROMEU VS ROSS BARKLEY
Oriol Romeu has quietly become a key player in Claude Puel’s side this season.
The Spaniard has appeared in every game and produced a solid passing rate of 87.8% while he leads the way with 3.2 tackles per game, as per whoscored.
Ross Barkley has had a few moments of magic under his new manager but is still struggling to find consistency, having only scored two goals and gained one assist in 11 games.
Romeu will likely be charged with breaking down Everton’s attacks and playing simple passes to the Saints attack. How well he deals with Barkley could have a big say.
SEAMUS COLEMAN VS RYAN BERTRAND
Seamus Coleman showed just how much of an attacking threat he can be with his looping headed equaliser against Swansea last weekend.
The Irishman has scored 12 goals over the last three seasons, making him the highest scoring defender since the start of the 2013/14 campaign.
He will be lining up against Ryan Bertrand more often than not due to Southampton’s diamond midfield. The Saints left back will have to make sure he doesn’t allow Coleman to get in behind, while he will be looking to contribute to his side’s attack when given the chance.
VIRGIL VAN DIJK VS ROMELU LUKAKU
The main duel the neutrals will be looking forward to at the weekend is between one of the league’s top scorers and arguably it’s best centre back.
Romelu Lukaku has scored seven goals this season as he looks to finally be gaining some consistency under Koeman.
Virgil Van Dijk, meanwhile, has enjoyed a superb start to the campaign and provides a calming influence on the Saints defence, dealing with attacking threats elegantly and effectively.
It will be fascinating to see whether Lukaku can escape the Dutchman or if the tall centre-back comes out on top again in what should be an epic physical duel.