Everton (A) Pre-match thoughts, team news, possible line up and prediction

by Olly Hawkins · 4 October 2024, 18:42

Speaking to Keith Downie outside our Benton training base before Friday's press conference, Howe perfectly summed up where we are at heading into this weekend's game.

On the Man City display and the challenges ahead, he said: "The energy was there, the quality was there - I think the mentality was there. So, the challenge for us is to find that consistently."

Last Saturday's 1-1 draw with the Champions was everything we wanted to see. We looked like a high-intensity, all-action, physical, organised and brave team again, delivering an encouraging response to that 3-1 defeat at Fulham and a start to the season full of patchy (if not poor) performances.

The question now is can we make that level of performance the new normal. Not just at St James' Park and not just against one of the big boys, but away from home and when up against a side we're expected to beat, if we turn up.

Eddie Howe’s pre-match comments

"It has been a good week. The Manchester City performance showed us what we are capable of when we are at our best. Then we had a result against AFC Wimbledon too. So, yeah, everything rests now on this game."

"The energy that the crowd give us [to press], the feeling of if a player goes or he doesn’t, that has served us so well at home. It is different away from home. Tactically, it is about our delivery, how we implement that. It is just being effective in what we do.

"I think how you start the game (at Goodison Park) and how you impose yourselves on the opposition there is hugely important. So we want to be really positive in our approach. And we've got to learn lessons from the Fulham game in our last away performance. We did for the Manchester City game, but it's still relevant in my mind that we need to to make sure we've learned our lessons from then."

Team news

Alexander Isak (toe) has been ruled out again and Martin Dubravka (bruised knee) is set to miss out. In better news, Nick Pope, Kieran Trippier and Fabian Schar are all expected to be OK, but Callum Wilson (back/hamstring), Lewis Miley (foot), Sven Botman (ACL) and Jamaal Lascelles (ACL) still missing. Matt Targett (eczema) is back in training so could return to the bench.

For Everton, it remains to be seen if Jarrad Branthwaite will play after a knock in training just days after his comeback game in their 2-1 win over Palace last weekend. Nathan Patterson, Armando Broja, Youssef Chermiti and Seamus Coleman have been ruled out.

Predicted XI: Pope – Trippier, Schar, Burn, Hall - Tonali, Bruno, Joelinton - Murphy, Gordon, Barnes.

With Pope, Schar and Trippier passed fit, Isak ruled out, Willock, Tino, Longstaff and Kelly playing in midweek and Gordon given most of the night off, I'm pretty certain we'll see the same 11 that drew with Man City last week.

Match prediction: Everton 1-2 Newcastle

This won't be easy. Yes, we'll be buoyed (hopefully) by a vastly improved display against Man City last Saturday, but we're yet to really turn up in any of our away games this season and face an Everton side rejuvenated from their first win of the season last weekend and the prospect of new owners.

I'm hoping we kick on and look like the REAL Newcastle we know and love - high-intensity football where we're physical, organised and aggressive in our approach - but I've got a feeling they'll limit the space for Gordon to work in and turn it into a bit of a scrap.

However, with their injury issues at the back resurfacing - Branthwaite and Mykolenko both missing out would be a huge blow - I think we'll nick it.

HWTL!