Everton face Leeds United tonight at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, knowing a win would move David Moyes’s side into the top seven and one point off the UEFA Champions League places.
Furthermore, a result for the away side would mean another huge step towards survival, as they still sit in a precarious position in the table, and a win would create some real daylight between themselves and the bottom three.
The home side will look to avenge their opening day defeat, turn around their inconsistent home form, and bring their excellent away form to their new home.
Furthermore, Everton have not won at home since mid-December, as they are still adjusting to their surroundings.
Kick off time: 8 pm GMT
Location: Hill Dickinson Stadium, Liverpool
TV Channel: Sky Sports Premier League/Main Event (Coverage starts at 7 pm)
Recent form:
Everton: Everton are fresh from their excellent win at Villa Park last weekend, but that was their first win in four matches. Furthermore, they are winless at home since the 3-0 defeat against Nottingham Forest in December, but do have an opportunity to move into the European places with a victory.
Thierno Barry has scored three in his last four Premier League games, including the winner against Aston Villa last time out.
Leeds: On the other hand, Leeds grabbed a vital late winner against Fulham last time out, which ended their run of four without a victory. Additionally, Daniel Farke’s side have been poor on the road this season, with their only victory coming in September against Wolves.
However, they did recently grab draws at Sunderland and Liverpool. Former Everton man Dominic Calvert-Lewin is likely to lead the line this weekend, having scored nine so far this season.
Everton: Several boosts for Moyes as he has some huge names returning to the fold. Iliman Ndiaye and Idrissa Gana Gueye are likely to return to the squad following their AFCON victory with Senegal. Additionally, Jarrad Branthwaite and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall could feature, having returned to first-team training this week.
However, this match marks the first without Jack Grealish as he recovers from a stress fracture in his foot.
Leeds: Farke says most of his side come through the last game unscathed; however, there are some concerns over Gabriel Gudmonsson as he has been struggling with abductor problems.
Anton Stach and Daniel James rejoined training following their respective injuries and may be available for selection.
The Everton boss spoke about his disappointment with Jack Grealish’s injury, “It’s a big blow because he’s been hugely important to us since the start of the season.”
Additionally, the Scotsman spoke on the test of tonight’s visitors, “Leeds are a good team and certainly in good form at the moment."
He added, “We’re looking forward to seeing Dom (Calvert-Lewin), and he’s got his fitness back and scoring goals.”
Read More: The Redemption of Leeds United's Dominic Calvert-Lewin
Moyes praised Farke’s adaptability, having changed formation in recent weeks, “In management, you have to find ways of winning, particularly when it’s not going as well, and he’s certainly done that.”
“The change of style and system has certainly helped them.”
Additionally, Moyes spoke about his team’s progression this season: “We’ve stepped up, some players have made big contributions, and the team has improved greatly.”
He added, "I’m pretty pleased about a lot of things, and we might be three points away from a really good position, but we could also be three or four points away from the bottom end.
“Hopefully, we can keep it going, and I hope we get a couple of opportunities to break into the top echelons.”
The German spoke about the test that awaits his side tonight, “It will be a difficult task for us. David is doing a fantastic job. You can see his handwriting on the team – really good spirit and togetherness.”
Furthermore, he added a point about having an edge when you do not have the league’s best players: “You need a good spirit, particularly when you don’t have the best individual talent in the league.”
He added, “We prove this daily. As a newly-promoted side, we have to go over the line with our physical output.”
Leeds have a five-point gap on the bottom three, and Farke spoke about the benefit it could give his side, “We always play with freedom, but this doesn’t take the pressure away at any point.”
He added, “It is not a free hit play away or against big teams, because we want to win every game."
Everton: Jordan Pickford, Vitaly Mykolenko, James Tarkowski, Jake O’Brien, Nathan Patterson; James Garner, Merlin Rohl, Harrison Armstrong; Iliman Ndiaye, Dwight McNeil, Thierno Barry.
Leeds: Karl Darlow; Pascal Struijk, Joe Rodon, Seb Bornauw; Jayden Bogle, James Justin, Illia Gruev, Ethan Ampadu, Brenden Aaronson; Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Noah Okafor.
