Defences are all at sea

[sake]

Ian Ogg previews Sunday's four games in the Barclays Premier League and he expects a free scoring game at the Liberty Stadium.


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Sunderland v Everton (1330 GMT)

Everton were impressive in midweek and will be looking to carry on from where they left off against Sunderland. The Toffees won their most recent outing (against Burnley) following Europa League action but lost both other games against Palace and United. Gus Poyet will have been delighted with the way that his side responded to their mauling at Southampton and with the goals that Steven Fletcher has been scoring after a prolonged spell in the doldrums. The Scot is showing the form that has seen him change hands for a total of more than £20m during his career and he's already notched more than he did in the whole of last season. Maintaining that form will be crucial to their chances of survival unless the likes of former Evertonian Jack Rodwell (a doubt for this game) can start to chip in with more frequency. Goals have been at a premium in recent meetings between these sides with the last three games finishing 1-0 (two in Sunderland's favour) while the points have been shared equally in the last two seasons with the away team on top in 2013/14 and the home side the previous campaign. This could be another close encounter with Sunderland drawing three from five at the Stadium of Light while Everton's defeat at United is their only loss on the road. Roberto Martinez should be able to recall buccaneering full-back Seamus Coleman along with Ross Barkley but Gareth Barry picked up a knock against Lille and could miss out which would be a significant blow. Barkley has yet to hit top form since returning from injury but he's got a few games under his belt now and he will be looking to kick on and show the form that has made him one of the most talked about young players in the country. His reputation rather goes before him in the goalscorer markets where Romelu Lukaku is a better option, especially given his fine record against the Black Cats which has seen him score three in four. Sunderland's confidence will have been boosted by Monday's victory but they have been making too many mistakes at the back and Everton are fancied to exploit the uncertainty in their back line and are fancied to come away with all three points.