Everton face a tough test of their fading European qualification credentials as they host Tottenham Hotspur at Goodison Park in Friday Night Football.
Victory will see Everton leapfrog Tottenham and climb to seventh, whereas a win would see Spurs rise above the Toffees’ local rivals – Liverpool into sixth.
Team News
Dominic Calvert-Lewin is ruled out for Everton for a second consecutive match, after an adductor injury forced him to miss Monday’s goalless draw at Brighton.
Jordan Pickford (abdominal muscle), Andre Gomes (hamstring), Allan (knock), Joshua King (undisclosed), Yerry Mina (muscle), Fabian Delph (tendon), Abdoulaye Doucoure (foot), Jean-Philippe Gbamin (knee) and Bernard (unspecified) remains absent.
Tottenham have no fresh injury concerns to report as Matt Doherty (muscle) and Ben Davies (calf) remain absent.
Stat Attack
- Everton have won just one of their last 16 league meetings against Tottenham (W1, D7, L8).
- Tottenham are unbeaten in their last seven league trips to Everton (W3, D4), with three of those four draws finishing 1-1.
- Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison have both scored twice for Everton in two meetings against Spurs this season across all competitions.
- Three of Tottenham’s last four away goals have come from Harry Kane.
- Everton drew their only previous home league game refereed by Michael Oliver this season, holding Liverpool to a 2-2 draw in mid October.
Prediction
Having struggled to a goalless draw at Brighton on Monday evening in which they were simply outplayed with just one shot on target, Everton really need a win here to reignite their fading hopes of qualifying for European football next season.
Tottenham meanwhile need to improve defensively because that aspect hasn’t looked stable in their last two matches, which Manchester United were eventually able to break down and punish yet Spurs were able to initially lead through clinical attacking play.
This match though is crucial for both teams but Everton do need to show more quality in their attack, otherwise I can see an away win if Tottenham can sort out their defensive issues.
Prediction: Everton 1-2 Tottenham
Result: Everton 2-2 Tottenham