Everton at Stoke City, v. Bournemouth: Writer Prediction League

After a brief respite over the weekend, the RBM Writer Prediction League is back in full force, with two matches this week for our intrepid staff to prove their mettle with. It seems like ages ago when Everton last played, a last minute 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace.

Our writers were pretty bullish on the Toffees’ chances of success in that match, but we got pretty much nothing else right. Those picks were as follows, with correct guesses in bold.

8 out of 10 of us correctly predicted Everton’s victory, securing two points. But no one picked Seamus Coleman as the opening goalscorer or man of the match, and none of us foresaw a 1-0 scoreline either.

With those points on the board, we have a league table relatively similar to last week’s.

Sean and Calvin continue to lead the way, with Tyler, Darren, and me in hot pursuit. Mike, Tom, and Brian are a little further back, but still within reach, while Scott and Matt have a huge hill to climb to get back into the race.

However, they’ve got a significant chance to make up some ground this week, as Everton has two matches. This means that 12 points in the prediction league are up for grabs, making nearly anything possible when Everton travels to Stoke City, then hosts Bournemouth.

Our writers are confident that Everton will take at least a point from Stoke in the mid-week match, but there’s little agreement outside of that.

Our opening goalscorer and Everton man of the match picks are pretty varied, though our final score predictions are a little more uniform. Four of us foresee a 1-1 draw, while another three are calling a 2-1 Everton victory.

Our group is even more confident about Everton’s chances against Bournemouth over the weekend.

A staggering six of nine participants this week are choosing Romelu Lukaku to open the scoring at Goodison Park against the Cherries, with another three picking the Belgian striker as their man of the match. 2-0 and 3-0 were the joint-most popular final scores, with each garnering three votes.