The match that closes the 1st round of the Premier League, at Elland Road, home of Leeds United.
Betting Tip: Leeds United – Everton
This game is capping off the opening weekend and is expected to be a close one. Leeds appeared to be more confident in the preseason and will have the home crowd behind them, but Everton are hard to beat under Moyes (in his second tenure), and have had their way at Elland Road. Our (risky) pick is 2 DNB.
- Recommendation: 2 DNB
- Odds: 2.20 (at the time of writing)
Leeds United – Everton: What We Know?
- Leeds United has not won a match against Everton since November 2020 (1-0 away win). They’ve lost three out of five after that.
- Everton is unbeaten at Elland Road in the Premier League since December 2001 (3-2 defeat). They’ve won two out of five since.
- Everton manager Moyes is unbeaten in five games away at Leeds in the league.
Leeds United
Exile from the top flight lasted only two years for Leeds United. They played a remarkably good season in the Championship and finished first with 100 points, coming back to the (probably) best league in the world after 2023.
This is in large part thanks to the manager Daniel Farke, who endured significant criticism over the last two years. Despite all that, the board backed him with significant funding that can help build a team to survive the rigorous season. More importantly for Leeds United is the fact that they kept all the major contributors from their successful season.
On top of that, they added a lot of new faces. Transfers such as Lucas Perri (goalkeeper, Lyon), Bijol (central defender, Udinese), Bornauw (central defender, Wolfsburg), Gudmundsson (left back, Lille), Longstaff (central midfielder, Newcastle), Stach (defensive midfielder, Hoffenheim), and Nmecha (forward, Wolfsburg) greatly add depth and quality to the squad.
Early returns are promising as well. Leeds managed to go through the preseason friendlies without suffering a single defeat, winning two out of five matches. They even made it past tough opponents such as Villarreal and Milan. On top of that, they are running an impressive unbeaten streak at home since February.
Everton
Last season was a roller coaster ride for Everton. The first part of the season saw them flirting with relegation, but Sean Dyche’s dismissal, the arrival of new ownership in Dan Friedkin, and especially the return of former manager David Moyes after 12 years helped turn things around.
The Toffees finished the season in 13th place and are optimistic about the future.
The team played its final game at Goodison Park after 133 years and is now moving into the new, modern Hill Dickinson Stadium. The move has created enthusiasm around the club and is expected to elevate its financial status.
On the transfer market, the Toffees parted ways with several veterans such as Young (left back), Doucoure (central midfielder) and Calvert-Lewin (striker).
Moyes has been carefully building the roster, so far adding Travers (goalkeeper, Bournemouth), Aznou (left back, Bayern Munich), Dewsbury-Hall (central midfielder, Chelsea), and Barry (striker, Villarreal). Another big move is underway with Jack Grealish expected to join from Manchester City.
Still, the preseason friendlies were less jubilant. Everton appeared to be a work in progress, winning just one out of seven games, with four defeats. Uncharacteristically and concerningly for this iteration of Moyes’s Everton, the team was very shaky defensively.
