Thursday night’s Premier League action throws a lopsided contest between bottom-half Everton and top-four favourites Newcastle United at Goodison Park.
Thursday’s Premier League action pits two sides from either end of the Premier League standings to battle it out for vital points as relegation-battling Everton will lock horns with in-form Newcastle United at Goodison Park.
Although Sean Dyche’s tenure at Everton started off quite well, the Toffees are currently lying in the bottom three and the relegation spots heading into this weekend’s round of games. The hosts’ goalless draw away at Crystal Palace at the weekend means they are winless in their last six Premier League matches.
The Toffees find themselves in desperate need of points, as they currently sit 18th, one point behind Leicester City and two behind Leeds United in a tense relegation dogfight. Despite their troubling winless streak, Dyche will want his team to reproduce their defensive toughness when they face the prolific Magpies at home.
In what was billed as a play-off for the Champions League spots, Newcastle put on a magnificent display against Tottenham at home as they responded to a 3-0 defeat at Aston Villa in style. The Magpies scored three goals inside the opening ten minutes, putting the game to bed, before making it freaking five inside 21 minutes against a porous Spurs backline.
The result lifted the Magpies to third in the Premier League table. And they now look well-positioned to achieve Champions League football next season. With Brighton & Hove Albion and Aston Villa both within striking distance, as well as upcoming matches against Arsenal and the Seagulls, Eddie Howe’s side can ill afford slip-ups.
The reverse fixture ended in a 1-0 victory for Eddie Howe’s men. But in truth, that scoreline flattered the Merseysiders. Everton can take solace from the fact they won the corresponding fixture against Newcastle in similar circumstances, where Alex Iwobi scored the winner. Ultimately, those three points proved crucial in front of raucous home support for Frank Lampard’s side, which rallied to secure survival.
Team News & Tactics
Everton
"Any team that comes to Goodison knows it’s never easy. It’s never going to be comfortable. We need to feed off the atmosphere and make it a tough game for Newcastle." 👊@22Demarai and @alexiwobi look ahead to #EVENEW. 🔜
— Everton (@Everton) April 25, 2023
Dele Alli is back at Everton, but he is injured. Andros Townsend continues to be ruled out with a knee issue, while Seamus Coleman looks set to miss out again owing to injury. The same goes for left-back Ruben Vinagre, while Amadou Onana will have to pass a late fitness test to see if he can feature in this game.
On the flip side, Abdoulaye Doucoure may make his return from his suspension here. Sean Dyche’s side welcomed back Dominic Calvert-Lewin for his first start in over two months. And the England international was inches away from marking his return with a goal last time out.
Dyche’s side earned what could prove to be a valuable point with a goalless draw against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, seeing out the last quarter of the game with ten men after Mason Holgate was dismissed for a second bookable offence. The Englishman will miss out here through suspension, which means Scotsman Nathan Patterson will operate as the right-back.
Dyche changed Everton’s shape to a 4-2-3-1 against Palace last time out. But with Doucoure coming back to fold, he could revert to a 4-5-1 formation here, with a lot riding on this Newcastle clash. Jordan Pickford will continue between the sticks for the hosts, with defenders James Tarkowski, Michael Keane, and Vitaliy Mykolenko all retaining their spots in the defensive rearguard.
Up ahead in midfield, we can see an interesting trifecta of Onana, Idrissa Gueye, and Abdoulaye Doucoure, with Gueye acting as the deepest-lying midfielder. The other two will be the box-to-box number 8s. Alex Iwobi will switch in and out of the progressive wide midfielder and winger roles.
Calvert-Lewin will continue to spearhead the line, with crafty winger Dwight McNeil looking to ping some good balls into the box for the frontman to attack. Demarai Gray and Ellis Simms will serve as bench options.
Probable Lineup (4-5-1): Pickford; Patterson, Keane, Tarkowski, Mykolenko; Iwobi, Onana, Gueye, Doucoure, McNeil; Calvert-Lewin
Newcastle United
Defender Emil Krafth remains out with a long-term injury. This encounter may also come too soon for Allan Saint-Maximin to return from his injury, but he could be available on the weekend against Southampton. Fabian Schar suffered a problem with his hamstring on the weekend, so he will have to be assessed before this game.
Nick Pope will be an undisputed starter in between the sticks for the Magpies, with Newcastle lining up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of him. Eddie Howe’s perseverance with the same back-four that got dismantled at Villa Park paid dividends against Spurs, with Fabian Schar bagging two assists, while the likes of Kieran Trippier, Sven Botman, and Dan Burn looked formidable as well.
The Magpies missed Sean Longstaff’s energy in midfield against Villa, and he delivered yet another all-action performance at St. James’ Park, as he not only provided a great touch to release Isak for Newcastle’s fifth, but he came close to scoring himself. As usual, Bruno Guimaraes, and Joe Willock will bring directness and aggression to Newcastle’s attacks while providing defensive tenacity.
Thursday night at Goodison Park. 💪
🔜 #EVENEW pic.twitter.com/VFTHlj65sm
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) April 25, 2023
Joelinton, who has continued to excel in that front three, was in amongst most of Newcastle’s good work going forward and, most importantly, goals. So the Brazilian should retain his spot on the left-flank, whereas right-winger Jacob Murphy also justified his coach Howe’s confidence in keeping him in the starting XI by scoring a superb brace last time out.
Alexander Isak scored twice in the win over Spurs and now has four goals in his last four games, and the Swedish striker will look to add to his season tally here up against a nervy and slow backline. Callum Wilson and Miguel Almiron impacted off the bench against Spurs and will look to do the same here.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Pope; Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn; Longstaff, Bruno Guimaraes, Willock; Murphy, Wilson, Joelinton
Key Stats
- Everton are winless in their last five games (D3 L2).
- The Toffees’ poor record against Newcastle United means they have beaten them just once in their last six meetings (D1 L4), although that victory came in a 1-0 victory in this corresponding fixture last season.
- Newcastle United have won six of their last seven Premier League matches.
- The Magpies have scored at least two goals in six of their last seven Premier League matches.
- Only Leicester City (15) and Southampton (10) have picked up fewer points on home soil in the league this season than Everton (18), though ten of those 18 points have come since Sean Dyche’s appointment.
Player to Watch
Joelinton
Joelinton’s transformation from an underconfident striker to a midfield powerhouse has been well-documented at Newcastle United. The Samba star has long been one of the first names on the team sheet since Eddie Howe stepped into the club and deployed him in a deeper role than was initially deployed on Tyneside; however, he is steadily becoming the most versatile, physical, and technically balanced footballer in the Premier League.
Thriving in a front-three role, he pinched the ball and drove through the heart of Spurs defence in the lead-up to Murphy’s goal before showing an impressive first touch to bag his goal convincingly after rounding the goalkeeper.
Bulldozed his way through both flanks, and there were flicks, tricks, and megs on display, just like a nifty Brazilian winger. Then midway through the second half, Guimaraes was brought off by Howe, with none other than Joelinton dropping into defensive midfield duties.
And the Brazilian was a dominant force there as well, winning tackles, aerial duels, working out of tight spaces, and spreading the play with a few delicate dinks and long balls over opposition midfield players. Not to mention his defensive tenacity and constant pressing, which make him such a utility player as he can do a job in so many positions.
Still, with Newcastle in need of more goals from midfield and wide areas, Howe will be hoping Joelinton can continue his fine scoring form here.
Prediction
Everton 1-2 Newcastle United
Both sides are still fighting for results for very different reasons at opposite ends of the table. Newcastle’s success earlier in the season was based on a rock-solid defensive. But since the comeback of Alexander Isak from injury, they’ve been firing on all cylinders, and from all directions, really. The Tynesiders smashed West Ham 5-1 away from home at the start of the month and bulged the net six times against Tottenham.
Everton, meanwhile, are desperate for points and will look to capitalise on the frailties of Newcastle United on the road, having only managed one clean sheet during that period. But with Everton struggling for goals, Howe’s side should have enough to churn out a favourable result here as they look to build on their previous resounding success by pick
