Will Everton's Striker Problems Prevent Possible Victory vs Fulham?

Everton host Fulham at Hill Dickinson Stadium, with the clash set to be a huge chance for the Toffees to revitalise their form, especially in front of goal.

It has been a case of same old, same old in terms of scoring goals for the Blues this season. One of Everton’s marquee signings in the summer, Thierno Barry, brought in from Villarreal for a fee of £27m, has not exactly hit the ground running. Though featuring in every Premier League game this season, the Frenchman is yet to score. Last time out, Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, Thierno Barry was given his second start in the league for the Blues, the first coming versus Brighton.

Iliman Ndiaye scored the opener early on following a brilliant solo dribble. The Toffees, who were 1-0 at the time, were bossing the proceedings. So much so, a fantastic chance came into the path of Barry to make it 2-0. A great cross into the back post from Grealish fell into the feet of the 23-year-old, who sent it flying over the crossbar from around two yards out. Although the criticism in the media has been towards the two strikers at the club, David Moyes, in his pre-match press conference, has ensured that others have to step up too.

The Scottish manager called out Tyler Dibling, Jake O’Brien and Vitalii Mykolenko. Specifically talking about the latter two, Moyes stated that he wants his “centre-halves to score more goals, and that I want my full-backs to create more goals. So, I think there are a lot of things you have to take into it [consideration], not just the forwards.”

Also in his pre-match press conference, Moyes revealed that the Senegalese attacker is available to feature in the match on Saturday. Ndiaye went off limping in the second half of the 1-1 draw on Monday night but is back and able to play. Furthermore, Branthwaite and Patterson are still injured. with no fresh injuries coming out of Finch Farm to report.

On the other hand, ex-Everton manager Marco Silva has revealed that Everton academy graduate Antonee Robinson will be forced to watch from the sidelines due to a knee issue. Silva has stated that the fullback is “getting better” but is unable to give a timeframe for the 28-year-old’s return to the squad.

Last time out, Fulham battered Wolves at Craven Cottage 3-0! A walk in the park from start to finish for Marco Silva and his squad:Ryan Sessegnon’s opening goal in the 9th minute and then Emmanuel Agbadou’s sending off just before the halftime break made it an easy job for Fulham in the second half, with the game eventually ending 3-0 following Harry Wilson’s finesse shot from the edge of the box and Yerson Mosquera’s own goal following a sharp pass parallel to the goal line, accidentally hitting the Columbian defender’s foot and heading into the back of the net.

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Thank you for reading my pre-match article!