David Moyes will be desperate for his first win in his second Everton stint when the Toffees host Tottenham Hotspur at Goodison Park on Sunday.
Gameweek 22 of the 2024/25 Premier League season continues on Sunday. The action on the day will start with three simultaneous games, including Everton vs Tottenham Hotspur at Goodison Park before it ends at Portman Road.
David Moyes would have hoped for a better re-initiation as the Everton manager after replacing Sean Dyche a week ago. The Merseyside outfit hosted Aston Villa at Goodison Park but lost the game 1-0, with Ollie Watkins scoring the game-only goal. The Toffees have failed to win their last six Premier League games, with the poor run of results leaving them only a point outside the drop zone.
As for Tottenham Hotspur, momentum has eluded the North London club, especially in the Premier League. While the Lilywhites have produced impressive performances in their cup outings, they have blown hot and cold throughout their Premier League campaign.
The latest setback came against Arsenal, with Ange Postecoglou’s men squandering a slender lead to lose 2-1 as the pressure ramps up on the Australian tactician. While Tottenham’s decision-makers have pledged their support to Postecoglou, widespread reports have linked them with several prospective candidates to replace him.
The reverse fixture saw Tottenham cruise to a 4-0 win over Everton, with Yves Bissouma, Son Heung-min, and Cristian Romero finding the back of the net. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Everton
David Moyes does not have any new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Everton manager will be bereft of the services of six first-team players vs Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
James Garner (back) is closing in on returning to action, but Sunday’s game has come too soon for him. In addition, Seamus Coleman (knock), Dwight McNeil (knee), Tim Iroegbunam (foot), Armando Broja (ankle), and Youssef Chermiti (hamstring) remain on the sidelines.
Jordan Pickford will take his spot between the sticks, with Everton lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday. The backline should feature Ashley Young, James Tarkowski, Jarrad Branthwaite, and Vitaliy Mykolenko.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Idrissa Gueye and Orel Mangala in the double pivot, with Abdoulaye Doucoure reprising the no. 10 role. Finally, Dominic Calvert-Lewin will lead the line for Everton against Tottenham, with Iliman Ndiaye and Jesper Lindstrom being the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Pickford; Young, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Gueye, Mangala; Lindstrom, Doucoure, Ndiaye; Calvert-Lewin
Tottenham Hotspur
Unlike his counterpart in the Everton dugout, Ange Postecoglou has new issues to worry about ahead of the trip to Goodison Park. The Tottenham manager might be without as many as 11 first-team players on Sunday.
Yves Bissouma (knock) and Brennan Johnson (calf) are the latest potential absentees, with the duo facing a race against time to be available to take on Everton. In addition, Fraser Forster (illness) and Ben Davies (hamstring) might require late fitness tests to determine their availability.
Meanwhile, Guglielmo Vicario (ankle), Cristian Romero (hamstring), Micky van de Ven (thigh), Destiny Udogie (hamstring), Rodrigo Bentancur (head), Wilson Odobert (hamstring), and Timo Werner (thigh) remain on the sidelines, although Romero and van de Ven should return next week.
Antonin Kinsky has been impressive since joining Tottenham, and he will take his spot between the sticks, with the away side lining up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of him vs Everton on Sunday. The backline should feature Pedro Porro, Radu Dragusin, Archie Gray, and Djed Spence.
As for the midfield unit, Pape Matar Sarr should hold the fort in the middle of the park, with Lucas Bergvall and James Maddison joining him in the central areas. Finally, Dominik Solanke will lead the line for Tottenham against Everton, with Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski being the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Kinsky; Pedro Porro, Dragusin, Gray, Spence; Bergvall, Sarr, Maddison; Kulusevski, Solanke, Son
Key Stats
- Everton have won only one of their last 24 Premier League games vs Tottenham Hotspur (D11 L12), beating them 1-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in September 2020. The Lilywhites are unbeaten in their last 11 Premier League away games against Everton, although they have won just three (D8). They are looking to complete the league double over the Toffees for the first time since the 2017/18 campaign.
- Everton have lost their last three Premier League matches without scoring a goal. The Toffees have not lost four successive top-flight games without finding the net since February/March 2022.
- Since the start of November, Everton have been the lowest scorer in the Premier League with only five goals in 11 games. Two of those were Craig Dawson’s own goals in a 4-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers. They have failed to score in 12 games this season, one of only four teams to do so in their opening 20 games of a season, along with Norwich City in 2021/22 (14), Southampton in 2003/04 (12), and Derby County in 2007/08 (12).
- Both Everton and Tottenham have lost their first two Premier League matches of 2025. The Toffees have lost their first three league games in a year six times before, doing so in 2022 and 2023, most recently. On the other hand, the Lilywhites have only done so twice in their history (1993 and 1994).
- Among managers to oversee at least 50 Premier League matches, Ange Postecoglou’s outings have seen the most goals per game on average (3.6), with 210 strikes in his 59 ties as Tottenham boss thus far (117 for, 93 against).
Player to Watch
Son Heung-min
While Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Calvert-Lewin were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Son Heung-min as our Player to Watch for Sunday’s match. Ange Postecoglou needs more from his captain, even though he has contributed to 12 goals in 18 Premier League outings this term.
However, Son has managed only six goals thus far, a paltry return for a player of his calibre, with three teammates finding the back of the net more often. But the South Korean international has an excellent record against Everton, having been involved in 10 strikes in his 12 Premier League starts against the Toffees, scoring seven and assisting three. He will look to extend that this weekend and earn his side a much-needed win.
Prediction
Everton 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Things do not get any easier for David Moyes as his baptism of fire continues. However, the new Everton manager will take heart from the fact that the visitors are among the most inconsistent teams in the Premier League. So, setting his team up to defend with numbers will be the key for Moyes to earn something from Sunday’s clash.
Several Premier League games this season have shown that while Tottenham might be one of the most productive teams in the top flight, they can slip up when opponents stifle their attackers. That should happen on Sunday, with Abdoulaye Doucoure delivering the goods for the home side. The Hard Tackle predicts the match to end in a 1-1 draw.
