On Saturday, 6 April, within the framework of the EPL's 32nd round, Everton will host Burnley at Goodison Park. The Toffees have been without a win for 10 consecutive matches and are only 4 points clear of the relegation zone, while Vincent Kompany's charges sit in 19th place in the league table.
Everton were sanctioned by the Football Association with a 6-point deduction for financial breaches and are now fighting to avoid relegation from the top division. Occupying 16th place in the Premier League table, even with a game in hand, they are just four points clear of the bottom trio. Fans are alarmed by the fact that the Toffees have not won any of their past 13 national championship clashes (6 draws and 7 losses). Having successively lost to West Ham (3-1), Manchester United (2-0) and Bournemouth (2-1), the Blues managed to secure a draw this week against Newcastle, who are highly motivated for the European cups (1-1). Alexander Isak opened the scoring in the 15th minute, but the Magpies paid for their poor finishing, with Calvert-Lewin restoring parity on the score board on the 88th minute from the penalty spot. It's significant that Everton lost nine of their last fourteen home meetings with recently promoted teams.
Moreover, the hosts are ranked fourth from bottom in the overall standings based on points gained at Goodison Park: only 13 points have been earned in 14 clashes, with 15 goals scored and 18 conceded. For a long while, injury has kept the likes of Dele Alli, winger Danjuma, and striker Dobbin out of the side. After an excellent midweek performance, Idrissa Gana Gueye and Andre Onana could return to midfield, with Calvert-Lewin (4 goals) set to outcompete Betu (3 goals) to lead the attacking line. Fully recovered from a calf muscle problem, Andre Gomes could bolster the line-up from the substitutes' bench following his final 30-minute stint against Newcastle. Garner and Jack Harrison will ensure reliability in the holding zone.
Currently, Burnley sit in 19th position in the Premier League table, trailing the safety of 17th place by 6 points. This notwithstanding, their survival chances are far from depleted. In recent weeks, Vincent Kompany’s squad have found good form and didn’t suffer a single loss in the last four rounds. Over this period, they managed to triumph over Brentford (2-1), while drawing with West Ham (2-2), Chelsea (2-2), and Wolves earlier this week (1-1). Jakob Bruun Larsen netted his second goal at Turf Moor, putting the Clarets ahead in the 37th minute. However, Rayan Ait-Nouri quickly restored parity on the scoresheet at the end of the half and no more goals were seen. It is worth noting that Burnley haven't won on the road since 23rd December when they defeated Fulham (2-0).
Indeed, the Clarets rank fourth from the bottom in the overall tally of points earned on the road, having gathered only 10 points from 15 contests, scoring 16 and conceding 30 goals. Last week, Kompany unfortunately announced the injuries of wingers Koleosho and Ramsey, alongside midfielder Redmond. The physical readiness of defenders Al-Dahila and Bayer remains uncertain, whilst right-back Assuncao is still serving a ban. The attack duo will again consist of winter acquisition Dantro Fofana (4 goals in 9 matches) and Foster (4 goals and 3 assists). It's expected that Muric will have his fourth consecutive start between the sticks in lieu of Trafford, while the defensive quartet will be formed by Vitinho, Dara O'Shea, Maxime Esteve, and Charlie Taylor.
The Clarets have lost six of their last eight meetings against Everton, having only won twice – in October 2017 (1-0) and in March 2021 (2:1). The round's opening duel culminated in a victory for the Blues on the road (0:2).
Both teams aim to snatch maximum points in this clash, as the encounter's outcome would greatly influence their relevant battle for survival. Everton are deep in crisis, having been winless for 10 straight matches, while Burnley have been showcasing decent results this spring. I reckon the visitors have a fair shot to at the very least avoid defeat at Goodison Park (handicap +1).
# | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | G | PTS | |
1 | Manchester City | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 9:2 | 9 | |
2 | Liverpool | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7:0 | 9 | |
3 | Brighton | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 6:2 | 7 | |
4 | Arsenal | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 5:1 | 7 | |
5 | Newcastle | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4:2 | 7 | |
6 | Brentford | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5:4 | 6 | |
7 | Aston Villa | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4:4 | 6 | |
8 | Bournemouth | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5:4 | 5 | |
9 | Nottingham | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3:2 | 5 | |
10 | Tottenham | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6:3 | 4 | |
11 | Chelsea | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7:5 | 4 | |
12 | Fulham | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3:3 | 4 | |
13 | West Ham | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -1 | 4:5 | 3 | |
14 | Manchester Utd | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -3 | 2:5 | 3 | |
15 | Leicester | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -2 | 3:5 | 1 | |
16 | Crystal Palace | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -3 | 2:5 | 1 | |
17 | Ipswich | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -5 | 2:7 | 1 | |
18 | Wolves | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -6 | 3:9 | 1 | |
19 | Southampton | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | -4 | 1:5 | 0 | |
20 | Everton | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | -8 | 2:10 | 0 | |
1 | Newcastle | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3:1 | 6 | |
2 | Brentford | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5:2 | 6 | |
3 | Arsenal | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3:1 | 4 | |
4 | Manchester City | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4:1 | 3 | |
5 | Liverpool | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2:0 | 3 | |
6 | Brighton | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2:1 | 3 | |
7 | Tottenham | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4:0 | 3 | |
8 | Fulham | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2:1 | 3 | |
9 | Manchester Utd | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1:3 | 3 | |
10 | Nottingham | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2:2 | 2 | |
11 | Bournemouth | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1:1 | 1 | |
12 | Chelsea | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1:3 | 1 | |
13 | Leicester | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2:3 | 1 | |
14 | Ipswich | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1:3 | 1 | |
15 | Aston Villa | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0:2 | 0 | |
16 | West Ham | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2:5 | 0 | |
17 | Crystal Palace | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0:2 | 0 | |
18 | Wolves | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2:6 | 0 | |
19 | Southampton | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0:1 | 0 | |
20 | Everton | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2:6 | 0 | |
1 | Manchester City | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5:1 | 6 | |
2 | Liverpool | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5:0 | 6 | |
3 | Aston Villa | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4:2 | 6 | |
4 | Brighton | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4:1 | 4 | |
5 | Bournemouth | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4:3 | 4 | |
6 | Arsenal | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2:0 | 3 | |
7 | Nottingham | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1:0 | 3 | |
8 | Chelsea | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6:2 | 3 | |
9 | West Ham | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2:0 | 3 | |
10 | Newcastle | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1:1 | 1 | |
11 | Tottenham | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2:3 | 1 | |
12 | Fulham | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1:2 | 1 | |
13 | Crystal Palace | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2:3 | 1 | |
14 | Wolves | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1:3 | 1 | |
15 | Brentford | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0:2 | 0 | |
16 | Manchester Utd | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1:2 | 0 | |
17 | Leicester | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1:2 | 0 | |
18 | Ipswich | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1:4 | 0 | |
19 | Southampton | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1:4 | 0 | |
20 | Everton | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0:4 | 0 |
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