Everton v Hull City: Team news, predictions & odds

The game kicks off at 1500 GMT at Goodison Park.

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Everton v Hull:  Team news 

Everton defender Leighton Baines is likely to be fit for the visit of Hull after recovering from a back injury which he suffered last weekend.

Midfielder James McCarthy is missing with a hamstring problem while Muhamed Besic is still working his way back to fitness after a long-term knee injury.

Striker Romelu Lukaku will start despite his refusal to sign a new contract. 

Hull will be without ineligible striker Oumar Niasse and injured midfielder Evandro.

On-loan Niasse will play no part against his parent club, while Evandro is still struggling with the calf injury which has ruled him out of the last three matches.

Midfielder Markus Henriksen is back in training after a shoulder injury but is unlikely to feature. Michael Dawson (calf), Dieumerci Mbokani (hamstring) and Ryan Mason (head) are still out. 

Teams

Everton (from): Robles, Coleman, Jagielka, Williams, Baines, Schneiderlin, Gueye, Barkley, Mirallas, Davies, Lukaku, Stekelenburg, Funes Mori, Holgate, Barry, Lennon, Calvert-Lewin, Lookman, Valencia. 

Hull (from):  Jakupovic, Marshall, Elabdellaoui, Ranocchia, Maguire, Davies, Robertson, N'Diaye, Huddlestone, Clucas, Markovic, Elmohamady, Grosicki, Meyler, Hernandez, Diomande, Maloney, Tymon. 

Everton v Hull: Manager quotes   

Ronald Koeman (Everton)

On playing at Goodison Park: "If you are afraid to play at home that is the worst thing you can have as a football player.

"But at home we are producing really good performances and clean sheets and I think it is important.

"The results, they have brought confidence to the team and the fans have confidence in the team.

"It is difficult to always keep that momentum at home but we'd like to do it.

"We know every Premier League game is difficult and what happened last week doesn't count any more.

"We are the big favourites at home and the pressure is on Everton this weekend, but it is always dangerous because they fight against relegation and they need points.

"If we keep our concentration in games it is difficult to beat Everton - but it is even more difficult to beat Everton at Goodison Park." 

On Romelu Lukaku's comments about his future: "Of course I am not happy about that interview. If Everton is not a club with a lot of ambition I would not be manager.

"But I am not so afraid about his situation because the player has more than two years on his contract.

"Everyone knows what can happen in football but you need to respect your contract." 

On Ross Barkley: "Ross is a boy from Everton and what we need to show for him is the best reasons to stay and of course his situation is different because his (contract) is running out next season.

"Football is a business and you make decisions at the end of the season.

"He needs to sign a new contract, if not you need to sell the player."It is not an ultimatum but that is normal - that is business.

"When I was manager at Southampton we had (Nathaniel) Clyne and he did not accept a new contract so we sold him in the summer.

"I spoke to Ross about a new contract and now it is up to the board to get that contract over the line.

"The player has to understand if he does not sign a new contract by one year (left) you need to make a decision for the club so it knows what will happen next year.

"Ultimatum is strong, I don't like that word, it's not like that." 

Marco Silva (Hull)

On Hull's away form: "Of course we do need to improve our performance away.

"In some (away) games we have improved, we've shown progress, but the results achieved are not the best.

"Only against Man United (0-0) we had a very good result, but the others no, and our last performance away against Leicester was not the best, that's clear.

"We need to improve this situation and we've worked this week in a bid to take points.

"Our form at home has been very good because we've achieved results and this gives confidence to our players.

"We've had good performances away, but not achieved the results and we need to change this situation as soon as possible because the 10 games we have left in the Premier League, not only are there five at home, but five of them are away and we need to take points." 

Everton v Hull:  Our prediction 

Our David John writes... there will be plenty of punters shovelling the cash on potential home bankers Everton at odds-on as they bid to bring up five wins on the trot at Goodison Park.

They have not conceded in three of those either as manager Ronald Koeman was purring once again after they strolled to a 3-0 success over West Brom with star men Ross Barkley and Romelu Lukaku finishing the season strongly.

Both have been the subject of will-they/won’t-they contract rumours in the week and as long as neither has been overly distracted, it is going to take a super-human effort from the visitors to keep them under control for 90 minutes. 

Hull recorded an important victory against Swansea last week but remain mired in the bottom three and will more than likely still be there unless they discover some sort of magic potion to cure an abysmal away record.

It stands currently at 11 defeats out of 12 since the end of October will have to be addressed to some extent if they are not going to be heading straight back into the Sky Bet Championship. 

The obvious glimmer of hope is their efforts at the KCOM Stadium (WWWWDW since the start of the year) and new head coach Marco Silva needs to cement an impressive start to his work in England by somehow ensuring they are a bit less powder-puff on their travels. 

This should be an interesting afternoon for last week’s double-goal hero Oumar Niasse on his return to the club that felt he had nothing to offer and Hull’s slim opportunity to all intents and purposes will rely on chances dropping his way in the belief he will get on from the start. 

That said, even the biggest Tigers optimist would be hard pushed to see the team taking anything from this and the home side can keep up a strong charge for Europe.

Prediction: Everton 3-1 Hull  

Everton v Hull:  Sky Bet odds

Everton are just 8/15 with Sky Bet to secure the victory as Hull go up against odds of 5/1 to win and 16/5 to leave Goodison Park with a point. The Toffees are 13/2 to gate-crash the top six while their visitors are odds-against to stay up at 6/5, with only Sunderland and Middlesbrough shorter odds to face the drop. 15/8 Golden Boot favourite Romelu Lukaku also heads the first goalscorer betting at 11/4 while Abel Hernandez is considered the visitors’ main threat at 8/1 to break the deadlock.     

Click for Sky Bet's Everton v Hull odds!

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Everton v Hull:  Opta facts 

After winning three consecutive Premier League games against Hull, Everton are winless in their last three (D2 L1). 

Hull haven't beaten Everton at Goodison Park since August 1952 (2-0), losing five of the six clashes since. 

No current Hull player has scored more than one Premier League goal on the road this season (five players with one goal). 

Romelu Lukaku is the only current Everton player to score more than once versus Hull City in the Premier League, netting against them in May and December 2014.

The Belgian is currently on 79 goals in the Premier League and won’t be 24 years old until May. Only three players have reached 80 goals before their 24th birthday – Michael Owen, Wayne Rooney and Robbie Fowler. 

Lukaku is on 19 Premier League goals this season and could be the first Everton player to reach 20 league goals in a single season since Gary Lineker in 1985-86 (30 goals). 

Since Marco Silva’s appointment as manager, Hull have won 11 points from eight matches in the Premier League. Ten of these points have come at home (W3 D1 L0) and just one has been won away (W0 D1 L3). 

Hull have already conceded 10 goals from the penalty spot this season in the Premier League – more than any other club in a single Premier League campaign.

Ross Barkley has already created more goalscoring chances this season (64) in the Premier League than any previous league season and seven more than he did in 2015-16 (57 in 38 games). 

Hull have conceded a league-high 69% of their goals in the second half of matches this season in the Premier League (37/54).