Mikel and mettle

Paul Merson says Everton will bounce back and plunge Hull deeper into trouble on Super Sunday.

Merse tips Tigers to be tamed by Toffees

It wasn't exactly a good week for Everton last week. They went out of the Europa League and then lost at Tottenham, but it was a heavy week and I think everything caught up with them. They don't have the biggest squad, they always have to work very hard to win games and I think things took their toll after their wins against Chelsea and Manchester United. Flying to Portugal and then going to somewhere like White Hart Lane is never easy and I'm sure they'll be grateful to have had a week off and then to have a game in front of their home fans. People will say they haven't got much to play for but there'll be more than 30,000 fans at Goodison Park on Sunday and if that doesn't motivate you then you might as well pack up football. David Moyes gets his players up every week and bar the last couple of games they've had a good run. I expect Everton to be on top of their game again. They might have got a draw at Spurs if Landon Donovan had scored an open goal. I think he was celebrating before he hit it, but it shouldn't detract from a very good loan spell. He works his socks off and he knows exactly what he has to do in that position. He tracks back when they lose the ball and they'll miss him when he goes back to America. That signing was a Moyes masterstroke and when the MLS season stops next year I'm sure there'll be a lot more Premier League teams after him. He has been part of a midfield that protects its back four very well. Everton's defence gets a lot of credit, but people forget how hard the rest of the team works in front of them. Good defenders can be made to look very ordinary if they don't get protection. People have been looking closely at Leighton Baines this week and it was no surprise to see him looking a little bit nervous on his debut at Wembley. He did some things well, he did his job and I don't think he did anything wrong. I hope he plays again before the squad is picked because these lads need a chance to prove themselves before the big tournaments. He certainly did nothing wrong.

Difficult

This is a big match for Hull City. There's not a full fixture list this week and the games are ticking by quickly for Phil Brown. They'll be looking at this and thinking Everton have lost their last two games and have had some players away on international duty. There are reasons to look forward to it. But at the same time I can't think of a worse place to go. I've played there a million times and it's such a difficult place to play. There's a good crowd right on top of you and the Everton players close you down very quickly. Remember, it was only two weeks ago that Everton were ripping Man United apart. I know they scored at good times in that game, but overall I felt they were the better team. Plus we're getting to the stage of the season now where the teams down the bottom have got to start watching their goal difference. It's very tight down there and I wouldn't be surprised if a team went down by one goal. So it's important that Hull don't get beaten too heavily. I think if they can get a draw on Sunday they'll be doing cartwheels all the way back to the KC Stadium. PAUL'S PREDICTION
Home win - I can only see an Everton win. They're good at home and they'll bounce back after a very hard week last week. I think you can excuse them a couple of defeats because they've got a small, young squad and they had a lot of travelling to do. Hull will have a go but I'm going for 3-0 to Everton. MERSON'S MAGIC MAN
Mikel Arteta - He's just coming back to fitness and I think this will be a nice game for him. He's got a few games under his belt to get his fitness back and I think we're going to start seeing the best of him. That will be good to see because he could play for any of the supposed "Big Four".