Everton will welcome Burnley to Goodison Park on Saturday, looking to get their stuttering campaign back on track.
Everton are winless in their last six matches, and are they have fallen to 16th in the Premier League table ahead of the visit of Burnley. The Toffees could be dragged into the bottom three if they continue to falter, and the home fans will demand a strong performance from the players here.
Meanwhile, Burnley are 19th in the standings, and they have picked up just one win from their last six matches. The Clarets are one of the favourites to go down, and it remains to be seen whether Vincent Kompany’s men can turn things around and start grinding out important results. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Everton
Dele Alli is ruled out with a groin injury, while Arnaut Danjuma is recovering from his ankle issue, and Lewis Dobbin misses out with a foot injury. Everton will shape up in their usual 4-4-1-1 formation, with Jordan Pickford in goal.
Ben Godfrey and Vitaliy Mykolenko will start as the full-backs here. They will look to keep things compact defensively and help out during transitions in the attack. James Tarkowski should feature alongside the extremely talented Jarrad Branthwaite in the central defensive partnership.
As for the midfield unit, Amadou Onana and Idrissa Gueye will add defensive cover and physicality to the side. They will look to shield the central defence and breakdown opposition attacks.
Jack Harrison and Dwight McNeil will start as the wingers here, and they will look to create goal scoring opportunities from the flanks. Finally, Dominic Calvert-Lewin will lead the line for the Everton against Burnley, with Abdoulaye Doucoure behind him, linking the midfield and the attack.
Probable Lineup (4-4-1-1): Pickford; Godfrey, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Harrison, Gueye, Onana, McNeil; Doucoure; Calvert-Lewin
Burnley
The visitors have a number of injury problems, and they will be without Aaron Ramsey, who is ruled out for the remainder of the season with the knee injury. Nathan Redmond misses out with a thigh injury, while Luca Koleosho is out with a knee injury. Jordan Beyer is unavailable with a thigh issue, and Ameen Al Dakhil is injured as well.
The visitors will shape up in a 4-4-2 formation, with Arijanet Muric in goal. Vitinho and Charlie Taylor will start as the full-backs, and they will look to protect the defence and nullify the wide attacking threat from Everton. Dara O’Shea will start at the heart of the defence alongside Maxime Esteve.
Wilson Odobert and Jacob Bruun Larsen will start as the wingers here. They will look to hit Everton on the break and create goalscoring opportunities. In the midfield, Josh Cullen will start alongside Sander Berge. The two players will look to help out defensively and stop Everton from creating opportunities from the central areas. Finally, David Fofana will lead to the line for Burnley alongside Lyle Foster.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Muric; Vitinho, O’Shea, Esteve, Taylor; Odobert, Cullen, Berge, Larsen; Fofana, Foster
Key Stats
- Everton have failed to win their last 13 matches in the Premier League.
- Everton have scored at least two goals in their last four matches against Burnley in all competitions.
- Burnley have failed to win 12 of their last 13 matches in the Premier League.
- 19 goals have been scored in the last six meetings between these two teams.
- Burnley have conceded 11 goals in their last six outings in all competitions, while Everton have conceded 10 goals in their last six outings in all competitions.
Player to Watch
Dominic Calvert-Lewin
The 27-year-old striker scored an important goal against Newcastle United in the last game, and he will look to add to his goalscoring tally here as he looks to regain his lost form and confidence.
Burnley have been quite poor defensively, and they will struggle to cope with Calvert-Lewin’s physicality and aerial prowess. Everton will need the Englishman to step up and to deliver if they want to grind out all three points, and he is our key player to watch out for.
Prediction
Everton 2-1 Burnley
The Toffees will be the favourites to pick up all three points at home despite their sub-par run of form in recent games. Burnley have been quite disappointing all season, and they are likely to come up short once again.
The visitors are likely to go down this season, and another disappointing afternoon awaits them at Goodison Park. The Hard Tackle predicts a narrow 2-1 win for Sean Dyche and his men against his former side.
