A resurgent Tottenham face an in-form Everton, with both sets of players ready to make a significant mark on Saturday.
Ange Postecoglou must be relieved to see where Tottenham stand in the table after a string of bad results under their belt, although their next opponents Everton will present a massive challenge. Spurs have successfully bounced back from four defeats in five games to record consecutive victories against Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest.
The most recent result cost Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper his job, with former Tottenham boss Nuno Espirito Santo taking over at the City Ground. Meanwhile, Postecoglou will want further improvements from his side after yet another fortunate result against the Tricky Trees, as they secured a win despite going down to ten men.
Yves Bissouma’s reckless challenge resulted in another straight red card for the midfielder. But their 2-0 lead around that sending-off proved enough to secure three points. Now, Tottenham have the chance to move into the top four as they sit a point behind Manchester City, who are not playing at the weekend. Postecoglou would want the team to be in a strong position around Christmas to keep up with the top order on the table.
The big challenge for Tottenham comes in the form of Everton, who have been excellent since their ten-point deduction. Since their loss to Manchester United at home, Sean Dyche’s men have won their four subsequent Premier League games without conceding a single goal.
Their winning run did come to a halt via a penalty shootout in the Carabao Cup clash with Fulham. But Dyche will remain wholly focused on matters in the league and staving off relegaiton. During the ongoing winning run, the Toffees have secured wins over Nottingham Forest, Newcastle United, Chelsea, and Burnley.
Those results have moved Everton into 16th with a seven-point cushion over the drop zone. Had they kept hold of their deducted points, they would have been seven points off Spurs in the table. But their appeal is still ongoing, so even that can materialise in the near future. For now, Dyche will want his team to show character and keep up the momentum and go beyond Crystal Palace in the standings.
Team News & Tactics
Tottenham Hotspur
Yves Bissouma’s red card only added to Postecoglou’s problems with player availability as Spurs continue to miss at least nine first-team stars through injuries and suspensions. Destiny Udogie also added his name to that list, as he will miss one game after collecting his fifth booking of the season.
Emerson Royal should replace the Italian at left-back, while Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg should come in place of Bissouma in midfield. There are further doubts about Brennan Johnson and Giovani Lo Celso’s participation, meaning Dejan Kulusevski should continue in the No.10 role. However, Johnson should still make it to the lineup after a late assessment.
He will continue to keep that place on the right side of the attack, with Son Heung-min occupying the left-hand slot. An in-form Richarlison will continue in the leading striker role for Spurs and will aim at scoring in a third consecutive game.
Postecoglou will stress maintaining discipline as Spurs are bottom of the Fair Play table, and further cautions could lead to more suspensions. He will have had a word with central defender Cristian Romero about it, as he continues to walk a tightrope in games.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Vicario; Porro, Romero, Davies, Royal; Sarr, Hojbjerg; Johnson, Kulusevski, Son; Richarlison
Everton
Some key players, including Abdoulaye Doucoure and Vitaliy Mykolenko, are doubtful for the Tottenham clash. Sean Dyche considers the duo extremely important to his style and will see how they fare in a late assessment.
Should Doucoure miss out, then Dyche will rely on the midfield trio of Idrissa Gueye, James Garner and Amadou Onana. The latter missed a costly penalty in the cup-tie shootout and will want to respond in this game.
At the back, Michael Keane should continue after his goalscoring return to the lineup against former side Burnley. If Mykolenko misses out, then Dyche could deploy key man Jarrad Branthwaite in that left-back slot.
Dwight McNeil and Jack Harrison should continue to provide width from the wings, as Dyche wants them to continue on their top form from recent games. Dominic Calvert-Lewin also appears close to his best self, and he will continue to lead the line ahead of Beto, who remains a formidable option off the bench.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Pickford; Patterson, Tarkowski, Keane, Branthwaite; Garner, Gueye, Onana; Harrison, Calvert-Lewin, McNeil
Key Stats
- Tottenham are undefeated in 14 of their last 15 home matches against Everton in all competitiions.
- Tottenham have scored in each of their last 17 games at home in the Premier League.
- Everton have kept a clean sheet in their last four matches in the Premier League.
- Everton have won their last four matches in the Premier League.
- Everton have not won five games in a row since the 1969/70 title winning season in the league.
Player to Watch
Dwight McNeil
Dwight McNeil’s game by numbers vs. Burnley:
82 touches
28 passes completed
7 ball recoveries
2 long balls completed
2 ground duels won
1 key pass
1 big chance created
1 assistAnother day, another goal involvement. 👏 pic.twitter.com/oK9SR3MhO4
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) December 16, 2023
McNeil may have shrugged off the image of a more pragmatic player while at Burnley as he continues to enjoy a renaissance period at Everton. While he may have the same manager from Turf Moor, the winger has come to the party in recent games and proved instrumental for Everton during their run of four consecutive victories.
He has consistently provided with the goods in those recent games. But everything has come through sheer hard work throughout those contests. Dyche will hope McNeil is fit and firing for this crunch clash with Tottenham and takes advantage of some sloppiness around the Spurs’ backline.
Prediction
Tottenham Hotspur 2-2 Everton
Everton are not in the mood to go back into being relegation battlers, as they appear to have broken away from that tagline and tugged on a new path under Sean Dyche. The Toffees are one of the most in-form teams in the Premier League, and the manager will want to keep up the momentum.
Tottenham are coming from a difficult period, but consecutive victories must have raised their spirit. Ange Postecoglou’s immediate objective will focus on staying in touching distance with the top three clubs, as another bad result could hurt their slim title hopes.
Either way, this clash has all the hallmarks of an entertaining draw, with free-scoring Spurs about to break Everton’s streak of four clean sheets. The Hard Tackle predicts the two teams to play out a 2-2 stalemate on Saturday.
