An Everton side who have dropped below a dreaded dotted line host a Tottenham Hotspur side who have climbed above a desired dotted line in Saturday's early Premier League kickoff at Goodison Park.
The Toffees are back in the drop zone owing to a goalless draw with Fulham in midweek, while the Lilywhites came from behind to overcome Brentford 3-2 in a tetchy London derby.
Match preview
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Sean Dyche's travellers had more than one motivation to put Fulham to the sword at Craven Cottage on Tuesday evening, having seen their EFL Cup dreams crash and burn at the hands of Marco Silva's men in December, but both teams had evidently left their best shooting boots in the dressing room.
A total of 46 shots were fired in West London - 21 of which came from an Everton side who only enjoyed 31% of the ball - but the referee's whistle would blow without the net rippling once, thanks in no small part to Jordan Pickford's heroics and a horror miss from Beto at the other end of the pitch.
Taking a point home from a ground where Arsenal failed to one month beforehand was no mean feat for Everton, but on account of Luton Town's phenomenal 4-0 beatdown of Brighton & Hove Albion, the Toffees now find themselves down in 18th spot ahead of Saturday's lunchtime battle.
The points deduction bounce has now firmly worn off for Dyche's goal-shy crop, who now have just one win to show from their last nine affairs in all tournaments - a 1-0 FA Cup beating of Crystal Palace - and the stalemate with Fulham marked their fifth top-flight game on the bounce without a maximum points haul.
Furthermore, each of Everton's last three Premier League matches have seen the Toffees fail to find the back of the net as the hosts revert to their previous toothless ways, but in contrast, Tottenham's club-record scoring streak in the top flight remains alive and well.
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Football, darts and UFC were the trifecta of sports linked with Spurs' enthralling 3-2 win over capital counterparts Brentford on Wednesday evening, where Destiny Udogie, Richarlison and Brennan Johnson rendered Neal Maupay and Ivan Toney's strikes inconsequential at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Despite overseeing the success which propelled Tottenham back into the Champions League places, Ange Postecoglou had a bone to pick with his Tottenham players at full time, criticising his team for remonstrating with the officials and displaying too much "bravado" in a heated derby.
Maupay and James Maddison were at the centre of the off-the-ball drama over the former mimicking the latter's dart-throwing celebration, leading Postecoglou to urge players to step into the UFC cage if they want to engage in skirmishes, but the Australian was left more satisfied with his side's merciless second-half display.
Thanks to Aston Villa's home loss to Newcastle United, Tottenham have taken the Lions' spot in the top four of the table - albeit only by virtue of more goals scored - and they travel north having only prevailed in one of their last five Premier League away fixtures, albeit while netting 10 times in that sequence.
The Lilywhites' final pre-Christmas fixture in 2023 saw Postecoglou's men eke out a 2-1 victory over Everton in North London, but Goodison Park has not been a happy hunting ground for Tottenham in recent memory, as the Toffees are unbeaten in five home matches against their visitors since a 6-2 pummelling in December 2018.
Team News
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Ex-Tottenham loanee Arnaut Danjuma is at risk of missing out on a reunion with his old employers this weekend, as he was forced off in the closing stages of the draw with Fulham due to an ankle injury, which Dyche admitted did not look promising at the time.
Another erstwhile Tottenham man, Dele Alli, will also be denied the chance to face his former club as he continues to recover from groin surgery, while Andre Gomes (calf) and Abdoulaye Doucoure (hamstring) remain sidelined too, but Seamus Coleman (thigh) could be back.
Dyche is also not optimistic that midfield fulcrum Amadou Onana will shake off a blow to the knee in time for Saturday, while Idrissa Gueye is also due to return to domestic duty after Senegal's Africa Cup of Nations elimination.
For the same reason, Tottenham boss Postecoglou should have a midfielder of his own back in the fold in the shape of Pape Sarr, but Mali's Yves Bissouma and South Korea's Son Heung-min are still competing for glory with their national teams.
Manor Solomon (knee), Giovani Lo Celso (hamstring) and Ryan Sessegnon (hamstring) make up a trio of injury absentees for the visitors, who were handed a slight scare when Maddison trudged off against Brentford, but Postecoglou played down his issue as cramp.
Sarr's expected return should see Oliver Skipp's run in the first XI come to an end, but Johnson's strike off the bench against Brentford may not be enough to earn the Welshman a start, as Timo Werner also dazzled with an effervescent display in the beating of the Bees.
Everton possible starting lineup:
Pickford; Patterson, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Harrison, Onana, Garner, Gueye, McNeil; Calvert-Lewin
Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:
Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Sarr, Bentancur; Kulusevski, Maddison, Werner; Richarlison
We say: Everton 1-3 Tottenham Hotspur
It was not for the want of trying at Craven Cottage, but there is seemingly no immediate solution to Everton's renewed attacking woes, although an extra day's rest and Tottenham's propensity to concede on the road offers Dyche's men a sliver of hope.
Postecoglou's crop fought fire with fire effectively on Wednesday evening, though, and while their defence may not emerge unscathed, their attacking forces should bail their rearguard out en route to a hoodoo-ending Goodison victory.
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Ben Knapton
