Everton will host Manchester United at Goodison Park tonight in a fixture which couldn’t come at a better time for Frank Lampard, with his side currently unbeaten in their last six outings in the Premier League.
The Toffees manager will be feeling more confident than ever as his team has shown huge improvement and consistency, compared to the disaster of last season in their relegation scrap at the bottom of the table.
Lampard’s side currently match bitter rivals Liverpool for points in the Premier League table (10), and another three points against Erik ten Hag’s side could push the Toffees even higher up the table and into the top half, depending on the results around them today.
Despite their fine start to the campaign, Everton have only scored as many goals as they have conceded (seven), and although they have the best defensive record in the top flight, they will need to score far more often to compete comfortably over the season ahead.
As a result, the highly-anticipated return of Dominic Calvert-Lewin this weekend would be a massive boost in the forward line for the Toffees, and Lampard has hinted in his pre-match press conference that the talented striker will be in contention to start against the Red Devils.
The Everton boss revealed: “Yes, he’s in contention. He’s a good player for us, pivotal in us staying in the league last year and want to get him playing regularly.”
The £72k-per-week ace – who was hailed by Carlo Ancelotti for his “cold” finishing – has scored 58 goals and delivered 18 assists over his 191 appearances for the Merseysiders. He has been struggling on and off with injuries over the last 12 months, though, with his recent knee problem keeping him out of the team for the entire season so far.
However, Lampard will surely be delighted that the 25-year-old will be in contention for their tough run of fixtures ahead as the Toffees will face Man United, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United over the next 10 days.
Calvert-Lewin has scored two goals and delivered two assists over his 11 previous meetings against the Mancunian giants, so he could be a complete game-changer tonight for the Toffees, and there is no doubt that Lampard must unleash him in the starting line-up.
Based on his scoring record for Everton, and his previous against the Red Devils, the 25-year-old could give Erik ten Hag and co nightmares at Goodison Park later.
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