Statistical Betting Preview: Everton vs Norwich

Everton drew 1-1 with Stoke last time out thanks to a last-gasp penalty from Leighton Baines. The Toffees had appeared to be heading towards three dropped points after going 1-0 down and seeing two shots hit the bar, but they eventually found the break they needed and were good value the draw at the Britannia.

Romelu Lukaku continues to impress this term whilst on loan from Chelsea, the imposing Belgian transferring his excellent form from The Hawthorns to Goodison Park. His 63.2% shot accuracy rate is the highest total for any of the top 20 players in the league for total attempts on goal according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.

Roberto Martinez, and indeed all Everton fans, will be keen to see Gerard Deulofeu return from injury as soon as possible. The youngster has been incredibly impressive whilst on loan from Barcelona and currently has one of the best shot accuracy rates in the league, with 81.3% of his 16 attempts working the ‘keeper.

Youngster Ross Barkley shows no sign of letting the high praise he has been receiving this season go to his head. Everton fans will be have been hoping that he would keep his head down and simply continue to develop his outstanding talent and he has been doing exactly that. Barkley has completed the joint fourth highest number of attacking contributions (crosses, dribbles, shots on goal) in the league this season with 93. Barkley is 5/2 with 888sport.com to score at any time this weekend.

Barkley appears to be flourishing under the guidance of not only Martinez, but also some of the more experienced members of the Everton squad. Gareth Barry would certainly fall under such a category and has been the perfect foil for Barkley’s attacking instincts at times this season. In the last round, only Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta and Santiago Cazorla combined in similar roles for greater success, with Barry and Barkley registering 98 successful passes in the opponent’s half between them.

Norwich grabbed a point thanks to a 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace in torrential conditions at Selhurst Park. Chris Hughton felt aggrieved after what should have been a red card for Marouane Chamakh for a push on Wes Hoolahan, but he will need to pick his side up for a tough away game this weekend.

Norwich may have been struggling at times this season but Sebastian Bassong can hold his head up high as one of the Canaries’ best performers according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index. No player has contributed more to the Norwich defensive effort than Bassong, who leads the squad for defensive contributions (blocks, interceptions, tackles won, clearances) with 153.

Leroy Fer may prove to be one of Chris Hughton’s best pieces of business during his tenure as Norwich boss if he continues in his current form. However Fer may have to adapt his tackling style slightly following his summer move, drawing the most fouls of any Norwich player with 36.

Jonny Howson has been of the fulcrums of the Norwich midfield this term, linking up play in the middle of the park excellently. His 356 passes completed in the opponent’s half is the current Norwich squad benchmark.

More goals may well be not far off for Gary Hooper, who looks to be finding his feet at Carrow Road. He currently has the best shot accuracy rate of any Norwich player, with 68.4% of his 19 shots testing the opposition ‘keeper. Hooper is 7/2 with 888sport.com to score at any time this weekend.

Data supplied by the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index. Select and manage your own team of stars at http://fantasy.premierleague.com/ or with FIFA Ultimate Team for FIFA 14