Pundit Chris Sutton has predicted the outcome of Everton v Brighton on Sunday afternoon.
David Moyes’ side welcome the Seagulls to the Hill Dickinson Stadium in what will be an historic day for Everton. Competitive football will be played at our new stadium for the first time.
After the final test event against AS Roma, Premier League football will be played at the Bramley-Moore Dock on Sunday. However, Sutton says he has ‘got a feeling’ Brighton will return to the south coast with three points.
Writing in his weekly column on BBC Sport, Sutton predicts a 2-1 defeat for the Blues. He states: “I’ve said this on many occasions. Everton overachieved last season. It’s painted a false picture as to where they currently are.
They didn’t offer a lot the other night against Leeds. Sorry Everton fans but I’ve just got a feeling Brighton will play party poopers in the first Premier League game at Everton’s new stadium.”
EVERTON MUST DO BETTER V BRIGHTON
It was an uninspiring start to the new campaign at Elland Road on Monday night. Indeed, a controversial penalty decided a game that otherwise had 0-0 written all over it.
Jarrad Branthwaite was a notable absentee, and Moyes states the defender is still unavailable. Vitalii Mykolenko and Nathan Patterson are also out, so it’s likely to be the same defence that started against Leeds.
However, despite the makeshift defence and Sutton’s negativity, this stadium heralds a fresh start for the club. It’s a new chapter in our history and the atmosphere will no doubt be electric. Loanee Jack Grealish should get an opportunity to impress in front of a home crowd for the first time.
It hasn’t been an ideal start to the campaign. There’s a lot of work to be done in the transfer market. However, we’ve waited for this day for a long time. Allowing external negativity to sour the occasion would be a mistake. Sunday is a real chance to get our season going, and an opportunity to make the BMD feel like home.
Everton’s first competitive match at Anfield was a 2-1 win over Accrington (not Stanley). Goodison Park’s opener was a 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest. Hopefully the record books will show a win for the Toffees as we break new ground in our third stadium in this city.
