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Tottenham Hotspur
White Hart Lane, London
24th May, Sunday; 14:00 GMT
Everton FC will play host to Tottenham Hotspur in their last match of the season. Roberto Martinez’s side have had a tough season as they are fighting to finish among the top 10 teams of the league. Tottenham Hotspur, on the other hand, will look forward to bag full three points in order to pull Liverpool down in the league table and go up to the 5th position. It is a very important tie for Mauricio Pochettino’s men as a defeat will relegate them to the 7th position and thereby they will lose the chance to play in the Europa League. Both the sides have their individual motivations and thus, we can expect a nail biting and exciting clash among the two sides.
Team News & Tactical Brief
Everton FC
Everton will miss the services of important defenders like, Leighton Baines, Tony Hibbert and Antolin Alcaraz due to injury concerns. Steven Pienaar, Bryan Oviedo and Darron Gibson are also among the casualty list who will miss the last game of the season. On-loan midfielder Aaron Lennon is not eligible to play against his parent club Tottenham. The good news for Everton is that all of their main attackers will be fully fit. The likes of Kevin Mirallas, Ross Barkley and Romelu Lukaku will have to reach the summit of their performance in order to help their side secure a comfortable win.
Probable Line-up (4-2-3-1): Howard; Coleman, Stones, Jagielka, Garbutt; McCarthy, Barry; Barkley, Mirallas, Osman; Lukaku.
Tottenham Hotspur FC
Tottenham Hotspurs will miss the services of defender Vlad Chiriches who was sent off last to last week against Stoke City with a double booking. Striker Emanuel Adebayor will remain out of action as he has been granted a compassionate leave by the club. Full-backs Kyle Walker and Ben Davies will both miss the game due to foot and shoulder injuries respectively. Mauricio Pochettino will likely field an unchanged XI which had won convincingly last week against Hull City. Harry Kane will have to reclaim his long lost form to help his side to win, a secure a spot for Europa League next season. The young English international has not scored in the last four matches. It is his longest drought period since October 2014.
Probable Line-up (4-2-3-1): Lloris; Dier, Fazio, Vertonghen, Rose; Bentaleb, Mason; Chadli, Lamela, Eriksen; Kane
Key Stats
- Everton has not lost a single game in their 7 matches against Tottenham at Goodison Park.
- Tottenham have won on the final day in each of the last four seasons, the longest current run in the Premier League.
- Harry Kane has not scored in his last four Premier League games.
Players to Watch Out for
Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur FC)
Harry Kane is the most influential player in this Tottenham Hotspurs side. The English youngster flourished heavily in this season as he scored 20 goals and provided 4 assists in the Premier League so far. Pochettino is heavily dependent on this English striker and Kane has to fire to help Tottenham secure a win against a formidable Everton. The opponent defenders will have to mark Kane properly in order to stop the English goal machine. Harry Kanea s goals and assists have helped his club to secure 26 points this season which is more than any other player in the Premier League. This reflects the immense influence of Kane on Tottenham.
Romelu Lukaku (Everton FC)
Romelu Lukaku is the most important player in this Everton side. The Belgian youngster has had a tremendous season as he scored 10 goals and provided 5 assists. In a relatively poor season for Roberto Martineza s men, Lukaku was the only bright light. With his immense physical presence upfront, Lukaku is a big threat for any defense. The Spurs defenders will have to keep Lukaku under strict vigilance to avoid any danger in the last game of the season.
Prediction
Tottenham Hotspur 1 Everton FC 1
On paper both the teams are equally strong and have quality players in their ranks. Although Everton have had a tough season this time, their recent form is quite intimidating. Tottenham too are on a good run and thus, we predict a 1-1 draw in todaya s match. Both the teams have the flair to overpower each other.