Everton face Sunderland in a mid-table Premier League showdown as both teams seek to keep their faint European dreams alive.
Victory could lift Everton as high as eighth if Brentford lose elsewhere with a two-goal swing in the Toffees’ favour, whilst Sunderland
Team News
Everton have no fresh injury concerns to report following their 2-2 draw at Crystal Palace.
Jarrad Branthwaite (hamstring), Idrissa Gueye (knock) and Jack Grealish (foot) remain absent.
Sunderland could welcome Bertrand Traore back from a knee injury subject to late fitness checks.
Simon Moore (hand), Dan Ballard (suspension) and Romaine Mundle (hamstring) will again be sidelined.
When is Kick-Off?
Everton host Sunderland at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Sunday 15 May at 3pm BST, live on Sky Sports Premier League in the UK.
Stat Attack
- Everton have lost one of their last five league meetings against Sunderland (W3, D1, L1).
- Sunderland have won just two of their 17 Premier League visits to Everton (W2, D2, L13), although this is their first league visit to Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.
- Everton held Sunderland to a 1-1 draw in their first meeting at the Hill Dickinson Stadium in January, which came in the third round of this season’s FA Cup, but the visitors prevailed 3-0 on penalties.
- Everton have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last five matches (D3, L2).
- Granit Xhaka has been booked in two of Sunderland’s last three matches.
Prediction
Needing results elsewhere to go their way on top of a win here if want a chance at European qualification on the final day, Everton simply have to just focus on themselves and rely on luck going against Brentford and Brighton because they twice threw away their lead at Palace.
Sunderland meanwhile are only one point behind the Toffees and likewise must focus on their own business here, but they must be more clinical than they were in a dominant goalless home draw against Manchester United otherwise they can just start preparations for next season.
With European qualification now out of their hands for both Everton and Sunderland, I do feel that the result will boil down to who wants to keep their faint hopes alive more into the final day if Brighton slip up at Leeds, but a draw feels likely if both cancel each other out.
Prediction: Everton 1-1 Sunderland
Result: Everton 1-3 Sunderland
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