Everton will be looking to avoid equalling an unwanted 87-year club record when they welcome Burnley to Goodison Park for a Premier League relegation showdown on Saturday.
Amid the potential threat of a second points deduction, the Toffees remain embroiled in a relegation dogfight following a miserable run of form over the last three-and-a-half months.
Sean Dyche's side currently sit 16th in the Premier League table, four points above the bottom three with a game in hand on 18th-placed Luton Town.
Everton have eight games left to preserve their top-flight status, including Saturday's potentially pivotal clash with 19th-placed Burnley, who suffered a 2-0 defeat against the Toffees in the reverse fixture at Turf Moor on December 16.
That result was the last time that Everton collecting all three points in a league fixture, with Dyche's men having since put together a 13-game winless run for the first time in their Premier League history.
© Reuters
Everton's current winless streak matches an unwanted club record set back in December 1957, but they could create further history for all the wrong reasons if they fail to come out on top this weekend.
Indeed, the Toffees have only ever experienced one longer winless run in their top-flight history - 14 games between March and September 1937 - and they will equal this record if they fail to beat Burnley.
Everton enter Saturday's contest having lost nine of their last 14 Premier League home encounters against promoted teams, while they last won a league fixture at Goodison Park on December 10 when they beat Chelsea by a 2-0 scoreline.
Dyche's side can ill-afford to go behind early doors considering that they have failed to win any of the last 32 top-flight games in which they have conceded the opening goal, drawing seven and losing 25 during a run that stretches back to October 2022.
There is reason for Everton to be optimistic of success on Saturday, though, as they have already beaten Vincent Kompany's side twice this season, with a 3-0 home win in the EFL Cup in November followed a month later by the aforementioned 2-0 league victory.
© Reuters
Dyche to put Burnley "respect" aside in relegation showdown
Dyche, who spent 10 years in charge of Burnley before moving to Everton, has insisted that he must put the "respect" that he has for his former club to one side as he endeavours to steer the Toffees to a much-needed victory.
"I always respect Burnley Football Club and always will do, but the fact is, once the whistle blows there will be no respect there," Dyche told reporters at his pre-match press conference. "We've got to look after ourselves and deliver a performance that will beat them."
Dyche is keen to see his Toffees side build on their solid performance in a 1-1 draw at Newcastle United on Tuesday and reward the Goodison Park faithful with a positive result this weekend.
"There's an energy about playing at home," he added. "There certainly should be, and I think there is with the team; there is with the fans. I'm absolutely full of admiration for the fans here because they support, and they travel in numbers all over the place, and they go to the home games in numbers.
"It's our job and our responsibility to give them what they want, and that's winning football matches. The noise from the fans is tremendous at times. We have to keep the performance levels high, particularly at home, and the fans help with that."
Everton face a Burnley side that have only won one of their last 13 league matches, although they have most recently picked up six points during a four-game unbeaten run, including a point collected in a 1-1 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers on Tuesday.
No Data Analysis info
