Everton vs Tottenham Hotspur

Premier League top-four hopefuls Tottenham Hotspur make the journey to Goodison Park to encounter relegation-battling Everton in a high-stakes fixture.

Season-long relegation strugglers Everton headed into March’s international break on the back of a three-match unbeaten run in the Premier League (W1, D2) for the first time since October, moving a narrow one-point clear of the red zone. But amid malicious talks over the club’s wrongdoing related to Financial Fair Play regulations, Sean Dyche’s bid to help the Merseyside outfit secure top-flight survival is under imminent threat. Tottenham’s voyage to Goodison doesn’t bode well either, with the ‘Toffees’ going winless in 19 of their last 20 H2Hs in the Premier League (D9, L10), doing so in September 2020 in London. At home, they’ve been winless in nine consecutive league meetings with ‘Spurs’ (D6, L3) since beating them 2-1 in 2012. But after winning three out of four top-flight home outings under Dyche (L1), they’ll be confident about bucking that trend.

On the other hand, Tottenham Hotspur’s life after Antonio Conte begins this weekend after the club and the controversial manager severed ties during the international break by mutual consent. Yet to appoint a new permanent boss, ‘Spurs’ will rely on caretaker manager Cristian Stellini to deliver the goods. Stellini’s first assignment will be to plug Tottenham’s defensive holes – they’ve already conceded as many goals in 2022/23 (40) as they did throughout the entirety of the 2021/22 campaign. However, the upcoming trip to Goodison could be just what the doctor ordered, with the London heavyweights keeping more Premier League clean sheets against Everton (24) than against any other side. Watch out for the visitors’ problems with inconsistent performances, as they’ve experienced mixed fortunes across their last three league outings (W1, D1, L1).