Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham had to work hard to secure their victory against Brentford, being tested both defensively and mentally due to Neal Maupay’s antics. However, they managed to come through in the end, which is great news for Spurs fans. This weekend, Tottenham will face another challenge as they visit Goodison Park to play against Everton, hoping to strengthen their position in the top four. The match will take place during lunchtime and promises to be an exciting one.
Everton received a highly controversial 10-point deduction back in November, and now find themselves in the middle of an extended Premier League crisis. They could face another sanction and are currently in a relegation battle. Sean Dyche faces a significant task ahead of him. In their midweek game, Everton settled for a 0-0 draw away at Fulham. They have only managed to secure one win in their last nine encounters, with the streak extending back to December 16th. They need to start winning again soon. The Blues from Merseyside also have a tricky record at home, having won just one of their last five matches at Goodison Park. This includes a recent 2-1 defeat against Luton Town in the FA Cup.
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Tottenham quickly returned to winning ways in their last game and have been performing consistently well throughout the season. Their main goal is to secure a spot in the Champions League for the 2024 season, and to achieve this, they need to break into the top four. The North London team has only lost two of their last nine matches in all competitions, a streak that began on December 7th. They see an opportunity to continue their good form this weekend and are motivated by their recent victory against Everton. In their last encounter on December 23rd, Spurs defeated Everton 2-1. Tottenham has won ten points in the last four fixtures against Everton and is unbeaten in the last six games against them.
WHEN & WHERE?
Date: Saturday, 3rd February 2024.
Venue: Goodison Park, Merseyside
Time: 12:30 HRS GMT.
MATCH OFFICIALS:
Referee: Michael Oliver.
Assistants: Dan Cook, Wade Smith.
Fourth official: Andy Madley.
VAR: Stuart Attwell.
Assistant VAR: Harry Lennard.
TEAM NEWS
EVERTON
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Facing another setback due to injury Abdoulaye Doucoure is expected to continue serving the sidelines after missing out on Everton’s last three matches.
Seamus Coleman, the veteran defender, is also unlikely to be part of the squad this weekend.
Although coming in with a bit of delight despite the recent disappointment at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) with Senegal, 34-year-old Idrissa Gueye may come back into the fold for Dyche.
TOTTENHAM
Yves Bissouma will be continue to be unavailable this weekend as he is still away with Mali at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Heung-Min Son is busy leading South Korea’s charge in the Asia Cup, remains absent as well.
KEY PLAYERS
RICHARLISON
Richarlison made a significant impact in the last encounter against his former team, opening the scoring for Tottenham. Moreover he has impressively found the back of the net six times in his last eight appearances across all competitions.
Something has clicked for the Brazilian, he is starting to get into more aggressive spaces and continually making those darting runs while always being a presence in order to track back as well as drop back in both defensive as well as attacking sequences respectively.
Him coming up against Jarrad Branthwaite will be a battle that will come pivotal, as Branthwaite has played am integral role in Everton’s defensive setup this season – however, his impactful contributions have occasionally led him to cross the line, accumulating a team-high six yellow cards in the current campaign and knowing how good Richarlison is good at capitalising on card situations it should be an interesting battle.
TIMO WERNER
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Timo is taking up spaces on the left, more of an inverted winger esque but his contributions have come quite effective for Tottenham. This is a role he played at RB Leipzig under tutelage of Marco Rose. Following a tally of three assists in three games, he spoke about his love for assists (as much as goals) – “That was exactly what I told the manager when he called me… I told him, I love to do assist as well.”
He has been countlessly making runs up and down the wing helping the team pretty selflessly and has had a massive impact since signing for Spurs.
Following his performance against Everton, Ange Postecoglou was full of praise for Timo Werner: “I thought he was great. First half we probably didn’t support him enough in that left channel, he was a little bit isolated. Second half we got some better service to him. He’s a quality player, I think he’s proven at this level, and as he gets stronger and fitter and understands our game a little bit better, I think he’ll become even more effective, and I know there’s goals in him as well that will come for Tottenham, so I thought he was good.”
PREDICTED LINEUPS
Everton: Pickford, Mykolenko, Branthwaite, Tarkowski, Godfrey, Danjuma, Garner, McNeil, Young, Harrison, Calvert-Lewin.
Tottenham: Vicario, Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie, Hojbjerg, Bentancur, Brennan, Maddison, Werner, Richarlison.
