- Southampton U21 have an unbeaten home record in Premier League 2 with six wins and two draws from eight matches.
- Everton U21 are unbeaten in two on the road with a win and a draw.
- Southampton U21 have won one and lost one of their last two against Everton U21 in Premier League 2.
Saints looking for European-style home performance
Southampton U21 head into this Friday’s Premier League 2 fixture with Everton U21 as slight favourites with the bookies at 97/100, although the Toffees are enticing at 211/100 and can be a tough nut to crack.
The Saints are sixth in Premier League 2 with 29 points from 15 matches, while the Toffees sit 14th with 20 points from 15 matches. Southampton are having a solid season while Everton have struggled to find top form, and both will want to see their best prospects push for first-team football.
Matthew Paterson has developed a very distinct creative style at Southampton U21 since his appointment in September 2024. The Saints are not an all-out attacking side, but they are possession dominant and build patiently through the middle of the pitch before the creativity of Tyler Dibling can unlock the play to accelerate into the attacking third.
Everton U21 are more pragmatic and can change shape frequently from a compact three-at-the-back to a more rigid, but still narrow, 4-4-2. They have a similar blend of youth and experience to their hosts and have a real energy provider in midfield in Isaac Heath, who can make things happen from deep to instigate counters or get onto the end of them.
Heath can be a factor against patient Saints
Everton U21’s recent form is mixed, with two wins, one draw and two defeats in their last five. They held Arsenal Academy to a 0-0 draw in their recent away fixture, but lost their previous one 1-2 at home to Sunderland Academy.
Southampton U21 are unbeaten in their last three at home, with two wins and a draw, including a 2-1 victory over Middlesbrough Academy in their most recent fixture there. Both sides will look to be positive here, so we can expect to see some flair and open play on the field and over 2.5 goals is heavily favoured at 9/20.
Everton U21 average 1.33 goals scored and 1.00 goals conceded per game on the road in Premier League 2, so this will be a competitive fixture. We’re going to take the home side to edge this one as they have a better record in the league and are the favourites, although the Toffees are always a threat on the counter.
Saints’ Dibling the danger man
Braiden Graham is Everton U21’s standout player and is their best outlet for goals right now, having scored three of their six goals in the last five games. Nicholas Oyekunle is a similar threat for the hosts, scoring three of their eight in the same period.
Backing the home team to win in this one makes sense for the reasons outlined, but also because Paul Tait’s Toffees are still trying to find their top form this season and are yet to really click in any one area of the field.
