After getting battered and bruised in their last matches, these two battered and bruised teams will be limping into this crunch clash at Goodison Park hoping to finally redeem themselves.

Everton were treated like a punching bag against Aston Villa last week. Their defense crumbled quicker than a cookie dunked in milk as Villa's attackers crashed through them at will. It was less of a football match and more of a demolition derby.

As for Wolves, they started brightly before capitulating in a typical Jekyll and Hyde performance. They dominated the first half before allowing Brighton to turn them over in the second 45 like a crepe being flipped in a pan. Very messy all round.

With both teams still sore after those pummelings, this could turn into an absorbing game of shadowboxing. Everton will be as cautious as a cat sneaking past a pitbull, while Wolves try to counter-punch after last week's knockout blow.

Everton vs Wolverhampton Wanderers

The much awaited clash will take place at Goodison Park, in the Walton area of Liverpool, England. The game is scheduled on Saturday, August 26th, 2023

Everton Hit Rock Bottom Against Rampant Villa

Everton's last match was one to forget as they were dismantled 4-0 by Aston Villa in an utterly shambolic performance. The scale of the defeat leaves Everton stuck at the bottom of the Premier League table after just two games, having conceded seven goals without reply.

Everton's defense completely collapsed against Villa's ruthless attackers. They looked shaky from the outset and were overwhelmed far too easily, committing a litany of mistakes. Jordan Pickford bizarrely hacked down Ollie Watkins to concede a penalty, summing up Everton's chaotic and panicked performance.

Villa exploited gaping holes in Everton's disorganized back line time and again. The visitors could have racked up an even more emphatic scoreline if not for some luck on Everton's part. Manager Sean Dyche will have been alarmed at how easily Villa's attackers breached Everton's extremely fragile defense.

In attack, Everton posed virtually no threat whatsoever. With Dominic Calvert-Lewin forced off injured early on, the Toffees had zero cutting edge in the final third. Everton mustered just a couple of half-chances in a toothless attacking effort bereft of quality.

Alex Iwobi's first half injury only compounded matters, robbing the hosts of some much-needed drive going forward. As Villa continued to run riot after the break, Everton heads dropped noticeably, with fans heading for the exits well before fulltime in sheer disgust at the Toffees' dire showing.

Among the Everton supporters, anger and frustration is rising markedly. Dyche faces a monumental challenge to turn things around after such a pitiful performance highlighted glaring weaknesses all over the park. From their dreadful surrender, there were simply no positives whatsoever that Everton could draw on heading into this crunch encounter with Wolves.

Wolverhampton Crushed Hard

Wolves started the game as bright as a new penny, quickly going ahead through Hwang's goal to have Brighton on the back foot. Buoyed by the early strike, Wolves spurned chances like an impatient toddler discarding vegetables.

The game had started brightly for Wolves as they pressed high up the pitch and went ahead through Hwang Hee-chan after 12 minutes. Buoyed by the early goal, Wolves spurned several golden chances to extend their advantage before the interval.

But their profligacy soon came back to bite them on the backside. After the break, Brighton stung like an angry swarm of bees, smoking Wolves with three rapidfire goals.

March was the main culprit, netting a brace as Wolves' defense stood stiller than statues. Estupinan soon added a third after cutting through Wolves like a hot knife through butter.

With the game gone, Wolves crumbled quicker than a sandcastle at high tide. To complete their misery, Neves got his marching orders to leave manager Lage scratching his head in bewilderment.

Despite bringing in new attacking talent, Wolves' chronic composure issues remain. They lose belief faster than a sinkhole appears, their body language sinking quicker than the Titanic post iceberg.

Lage faces a huge task reviving his team after this damaging loss. Wolves' defensive frailties and attacking futility remains a gigantic concern ahead of the Everton clash.

Predicted Lineups

Everton: Jordan Pickford, Ben Godfrey, James Tarkowski, Michael Keane, Seamus Coleman, Dwight McNeil, Amadou Onana, Abdoulaye Doucouré, Alex Iwobi, Demarai Gray, Dominic Calvert-Lewin

Wolves: José Sá, Rayan Aït-Nouri, Max Kilman, Toti Gomes, Nélson Semedo, João Gomes, Mario Lemina, Matheus Nunes, Daniel Podence, Matheus Cunha, Pedro Neto

Key Battles

• Mario Lemina vs James Garner 

Lemina will look to serve up some tasty through balls for Everton's attackers to feast on. But Garner will try to gobble up any space in midfield with his relentless pressing and running. Expect some crunching tackles in this clash between the Toffees' craft and the Wolves' graft.

• Ashley Young vs Craig Dawson

The backlines could decide this one in a game of fine margins. Ashley Young may have the experience but can he keep out Wolves' attack dog Craig Dawson? The Wolves striker will be licking his chops hoping to expose any weakness in Everton's vulnerable defense.