Newcastle United travel to Goodison Park on Thursday to face an Everton team desperate for points in their race to avoid relegation.
Sitting in the drop zone on 28 points Everton have picked up maximum points on only six occasions this season and they go into Thursday night’s fixture against a Newcastle side that have won six of their last eight games home and away.
Since the euphoria of picking up six points from two wins in their first three games following the appointment of Sean Dyche as manager in late January Everton have failed to capitalise, winning only one of their next nine games.
It comes as no surprise therefore that their flirtation with relegation is starting take on the look of a relationship of a more permanent variety.
Speaking at his press conference ahead of the game Dyche stated there will be late calls on Seamus Coleman and Amadou Onana after the pair returned to training
Coleman and Onana have missed the Blues' last two games with hamstring and groin issues respectively.
Abdoulaye Doucoure is back in contention for a place in the starting line-up following a three-match suspension following his sending off against Tottenham Hotspur earlier this month.
However, Mason Holgate misses out, as he serves a one-match suspension after his dismissal against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Eddie Howe meanwhile has fitness doubts over defender Fabian Schar who is suffering from a hamstring strain suffered during Sunday’s 6-1 demolition of Spurs.
If the Swiss International is unavailable, then Howe will more than likely call on club captain Jamaal Lascelles as his replacement.
The only other downside for Howe selection wise is that the game will come too early for Allan Saint-Maximin to make a return as the mercurial Frenchman recovers from his hamstring injury.
A hot reception undoubtedly awaits Anthony Gordon as he returns to Goodison Park for the first time since his £45million transfer to Newcastle in January.
Talking at his press conference Howe was keen to play down talk of Sundays performance and preferred to talk about what he expects from his team going forward into the final weeks of the season.
When pressed, Howe emphasised such, saying: "When you look at the performance as a whole and the team as a whole, I think we've got a long way to go to be the team we want to be. Definitely, huge improvements in my time here but we want more.
On achieving those improvements Howe said: "It's a constant process, it's always evolving so through our training and everything we try to deliver to the players on a daily basis, we're always trying to improve how we deliver the ball up the pitch.”
"There's a lot of work which goes into it, the players deserve huge amount of credit for stats like that because the mentality of the team has to be right. We have to always want to attack and try to impose ourselves and try to score.”
"But doing it in a controlled way, so we don't lose our balance or control of the game."
"We want to continue to evolve in different ways, and I've got plans and ideas in my head."
Newcastle will be backed by 3,000 supporters inside a sold out Goodison Park in what promises to be a white-hot atmosphere.
Sitting in the drop zone on 28 points Everton have picked up maximum points on only six occasions this season and they go into Thursday night’s fixture against a Newcastle side that have won six of their last eight games home and away.
Since the euphoria of picking up six points from two wins in their first three games following the appointment of Sean Dyche as manager in late January Everton have failed to capitalise, winning only one of their next nine games.
It comes as no surprise therefore that their flirtation with relegation is starting take on the look of a relationship of a more permanent variety.
Speaking at his press conference ahead of the game Dyche stated there will be late calls on Seamus Coleman and Amadou Onana after the pair returned to training
Coleman and Onana have missed the Blues' last two games with hamstring and groin issues respectively.
Abdoulaye Doucoure is back in contention for a place in the starting line-up following a three-match suspension following his sending off against Tottenham Hotspur earlier this month.
However, Mason Holgate misses out, as he serves a one-match suspension after his dismissal against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Eddie Howe meanwhile has fitness doubts over defender Fabian Schar who is suffering from a hamstring strain suffered during Sunday’s 6-1 demolition of Spurs.
If the Swiss International is unavailable, then Howe will more than likely call on club captain Jamaal Lascelles as his replacement.
The only other downside for Howe selection wise is that the game will come too early for Allan Saint-Maximin to make a return as the mercurial Frenchman recovers from his hamstring injury.
A hot reception undoubtedly awaits Anthony Gordon as he returns to Goodison Park for the first time since his £45million transfer to Newcastle in January.
Talking at his press conference Howe was keen to play down talk of Sundays performance and preferred to talk about what he expects from his team going forward into the final weeks of the season.
When pressed, Howe emphasised such, saying: "When you look at the performance as a whole and the team as a whole, I think we've got a long way to go to be the team we want to be. Definitely, huge improvements in my time here but we want more.
On achieving those improvements Howe said: "It's a constant process, it's always evolving so through our training and everything we try to deliver to the players on a daily basis, we're always trying to improve how we deliver the ball up the pitch.”
"There's a lot of work which goes into it, the players deserve huge amount of credit for stats like that because the mentality of the team has to be right. We have to always want to attack and try to impose ourselves and try to score.”
"But doing it in a controlled way, so we don't lose our balance or control of the game."
"We want to continue to evolve in different ways, and I've got plans and ideas in my head."
Newcastle will be backed by 3,000 supporters inside a sold out Goodison Park in what promises to be a white-hot atmosphere.
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