Everton will continue their pursuit of Premier League survival this evening when they host Newcastle United in their clash at Goodison Park and will hope that a home advantage will give them the edge needed to defeat their seemingly unstoppable opponents.
The Toffees have fallen further into trouble following Nottingham Forest’s victory over Brighton and Hove Albion last night, meaning they are now two points deep into the relegation zone and anything short of three points against Newcastle tonight will put serious pressure on Sean Dyche going into their final fixtures.
Despite their plight, Everton have played some of their best football at Goodison Park this season with five of their six victories secured on home turf, so Dyche will be hoping the home support will be able to create an atmosphere under the floodlights that steers the team in the right direction.
In terms of injuries, Andros Townsend and Ruben Vinagre remain ruled out for the fixture, whilst Amadou Onana and Seamus Coleman will be subjected to late fitness tests to determine whether they will be available for selection after missing out in the last two league games.
Not only that, Everton will be given a massive boost as midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure has served his three-match ban for his altercation with Harry Kane during the Spurs clash earlier this month and will now be available to start in the centre of the pitch.
How could Everton line up vs Newcastle?
Dyche could make two changes to the side that drew with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park at the weekend, maintaining a formation of 4-2-3-1.
Pickford, Patterson, Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko, Garner, Gueye, Doucoure, McNeil, Gray, Calvert-Lewin.
The first change we expect to see is in the back four with Coleman a doubt and Mason Holgate suspended, it could finally be the perfect opportunity for Nathan Patterson to reprise his role in the right-back position on Merseyside this evening.
The 6-foot dynamo – hailed “impressive” by Danny Murphy – has been out of favour after sustaining injuries over the last few months and has not been selected despite Coleman’s injury, however, Dyche may now have his hands tied and will need to offer the starting spot to the young Scotsman.
The second change we expect to see will be in midfield, with Doucoure instantly returning to the starting XI following his suspension, alongside an otherwise unchanged set-up of James Garner and Idrissa Gana Gueye, meaning that Alex Iwobi could be set to miss out.
With that being said, taking a more defensive approach against Newcastle’s tenacious attack could help Dyche to avoid replicating Spurs’ failure at St James’ Park and could keep them in the game long enough to take vital points when the Magpies come to town tonight.
#Everton #Predicted #Newcastle