Everton welcome Newcastle United to Goodison Park in the Premier League on Thursday night, looking to build on their morale-booster victory secured last weekend.
After a slow start to the new season, Sean Dyche’s side have picked up well with ten points from their last five league fixtures. But for the points deduction, Everton would be 12th in the Premier League table ahead of the game against Newcastle United.
Reeling from a ten-point deduction and a bruising 3-0 home defeat to Manchester United just after that, the Toffees bounced back in valiant fashion and claimed three valuable points in a hard-fought victory over Nottingham Forest last weekend.
That moved Everton up to 18th in the table, and they could escape the bottom three with a positive result against Newcastle United this midweek. The Magpies, meanwhile, are valiantly battling through a desperately difficult injury crisis and continue to collect results, thrashing the Red Devils in a one-sided 1-0 victory, with Anthony Gordon’s second-half goal enough to see out the win at St James’ Park.
Eddie Howe’s side have now won seven of their last ten Premier League games and have moved to sixth in the table, just one point behind fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, who they meet in North London this weekend, and three behind fourth-placed Aston Villa.
The Magpies did the league double over Everton last season, edging the Toffees 1-0 at home and hammering them 4-1 at Goodison Park. Ahead of the latest meeting between the two teams on Thursday night, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both sides.
Team News and Tactics
Everton
Sean Dyche made only one substitution in the weekend’s victory over Nottingham Forest. Everton’s injury-prone striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin was not risked for the trip to City Ground as he nurses a minor muscular issue. Dyche may be tempted to call on Beto again rather than risk Calvert-Lewin, who is likely to return after missing out against Nottingham Forest.
Sean Dyche will continue to be without long-term absentees Dele Alli and Andre Gomes here, despite both returning to the training pitch for the Toffees. Fellow midfielder Amadou Onana is also a doubt. The Belgian international may have to wait until this weekend’s visit from Chelsea for his return from a calf issue.
Dyche will set his side up in a 4-4-1-1 formation once again and could make one change to his first team for this game. Idrissa Gueye and James Garner impressed in a double-pivot at the weekend, so they should keep their spots in the engine room, with Abdoulaye Doucoure operating as the advanced box-to-box midfielder.
Wing-duo Dwight McNeil and Jack Harrison will look to provide creativity from their respective flanks in the Everton lineup. Dyche is expected to field James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite as the centre-backs in front of Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. Vitaliy Mykolenko will fill in as the left-back, while veteran Ashley Young will hope to produce a solid display on the right side.
Probable Lineup (4-4-1-1): Pickford; Young, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Harrison, Gueye, Garner, McNeil; Doucoure, Beto
Newcastle United
Newcastle United’s injury issues show no signs of letting up, with Nick Pope becoming the latest player to be added to their already extensive injury list after suffering a suspected dislocated shoulder in their win over Manchester United.
The 31-year-old was replaced by Martin Dubravka in the 86th minute of the match, and the Slovakian shot-stopper could start in between the sticks for the foreseeable future, with Pope looking down the barrel of a potential five-month absence. The injury is another blow for manager Eddie Howe, who could potentially be without as many as 13 first-team players for the trip to Everton.
The Magpies’ are still without full-backs Dan Burn, Matt Targett, and Javier Manquillo. Centre-back Sven Botman is not back in training after suffering a setback to his original injury, while Elliot Anderson and Jacob Murphy will not return again before the turn of the year. Sandro Tonali’s suspension remains in effect until August 2024.
Kieran Trippier and Valentino Livramento will form the full-back duo. The former is renowned for his early crossing, curating passing patterns, and exceptional set-piece ability, while the latter possesses excellent recovery pace and an electric turn of speed to leave his marker in dust.
Howe revealed that Sean Longstaff and Joe Willock do not have “long-term injuries,” although neither is expected to return until Thursday. Harvey Barnes, who has been out for two months, is also nearing a comeback.
Once again, Howe will be forced to field a pretty similar starting XI from the Manchester United game, meaning Bruno Guimaraes, Joelinton, and impressive young talent Lewis Miley will once again line up in the engine room.
All three have proven they would be more than worth commanding the midfield after putting together a string of fine displays in recent weeks. The absence of Callum Wilson will mean Alexander Isak will lead the line once again, while Miguel Almiron and Anthony Gordon will play the supporting cast for the prolific Swede.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Dubravka; Trippier, Schar, Lascelles, Livramento; Miley, Guimaraes, Joelinton; Almiron, Isak, Gordon
Key Stats
- Newcastle United have won five of their last six matches against Everton across all competitions.
- The Magpies are unbeaten in nine of their last ten Premier League matches.
- With 32 goals in 14 games, Newcastle are third in the Premier League.
- The Magpies have drawn two of their last three away league fixtures.
Player to Watch
Anthony Gordon
Anthony Gordon is having an incredible season for Newcastle United. His transfer from Everton was received with bemusement and derision; the Englishman had done very little to justify such a cost, having scored seven goals and provided eight assists in 78 appearances for the Toffees.
Six goals and five assists in 13 Premier League appearances this term is an incredible return. The fact that he scored against Liverpool, has match-winning goals against Arsenal and Manchester United, and scored and assisted in an emphatic victory over Chelsea shows he is a big-game player and could again come up trumps here against his former club.
Prediction
Everton 0-1 Newcastle United
Sean Dyche has undoubtedly made Everton a much more resilient, compact defensive outfit this season. But the Toffees still lack the creativity to break lines and the clinical nature to score goals, having only managed to find the back of the net 15 times this season.
Newcastle United themselves have not been the most imperious outfit on the road. But Eddie Howe’s men should have enough quality in their ranks to be able to take all three points from Everton’s fortress this midweek. The Hard Tackle predicts a 1-0 victory for the away side.