Stoke City vs Everton

Stoke City and Everton are set to face off against other for the first time since 2018 as the Bet365 Stadium plays host to their upcoming friendly meeting.

Last season’s dreadful 16th-place finish in the Championship left a lot to be desired in the Stoke camp, especially after Alex Neil’s side went winless in seven straight league matches toward the end of the campaign (D2, L5). They’ve shown a minor improvement in early pre-season, clocking up two wins from four summer friendlies (D1, L1), including a narrow 1-0 triumph over Burton last time out. But the ‘Potters’ have truly excelled at the back, conceding an average of 0.5 goals per game during that four-match sequence! Defensive resilience will be crucial if they’re to arrest a morale-crushing five-match winless run against Everton (D1, L4), especially considering they failed to get on the scoresheet on three occasions.

In the meantime, Everton rescued salvation in a nerve-shredding survival battle in the 2022/23 Premier League season by the skin of their teeth, finishing only two points clear of 18th-placed Leicester City, courtesy of a 1-0 final-day home win over Bournemouth. Desperate to avoid another tormenting campaign, Sean Dyche’s men have flown out of the traps in their early pre-season, going unbeaten in all three exhibition matches (W2, D1). Back-to-back clean sheets in the build-up to this encounter can only bolster Everton’s confidence, knowing they completed last league season as the division’s second-worst attack, having netted only 34 games from 38 games.