All of a sudden, Everton are in real danger of slipping into the bottom three. By contrast, Newcastle United’s relegation fears have all but vanished following a remarkable turnaround.
The Toffees welcome the Magpies to Goodison Park on Thursday night, with the hosts looking to end a damaging four-game losing streak in the Premier League.
Baller. 💫 pic.twitter.com/Ot7u2OvXWb— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) March 13, 2022
Baller. 💫 pic.twitter.com/Ot7u2OvXWb
Frank Lampard’s men are level with eighteenth-place Watford on 22 points. Meanwhile, Newcastle find themselves fourteenth – nine points clear of the relegation zone.
Everton were beaten 1-0 by Wolves on Sunday. Not only did the hosts see 38% of the ball, they also managed just two shots on target.
That means the Toffees have lost each of their last four league matches without scoring a single goal in the process.
When you look at the bigger picture, they have lost eight of their previous nine league clashes – conceding 18 goals along the way.
Worse still, Everton have managed to win just two of their past 20 Premier League games – recording three draws and 15 defeats during that period.
On the flip side, Newcastle have completely transformed their season and are now closer to the top half than the relegation zone.
The Magpies headed into Sunday’s clash with Chelsea on a nine-game unbeaten streak, having secured six wins and three draws since losing to Manchester City in December.
If it weren’t for an 89th-minute Kai Havertz goals, Eddie Howe’s men would have extended their unbeaten run to ten matches at Stamford Bridge.
Given the nine-point gulf between Newcastle and Everton, the Magpies can play with a sense of freedom on Thursday.
Head-to-head: Last month, Newcastle beat Everton 3-1 in reverse fixture. Howe’s men racked up 20 shots on home soil, while the Toffees managed just three attempts on target.
As a result, Newcastle have won each of their previous three Premier League meetings with Everton and have lost just one of the last seven.
Team news: Everton will be without the injured duo of Yerry Mina, Fabian Delph and Tom Davies on Thursday. Jonjoe Kenny is suspended, too, after picking up a red card last time out.
Newcastle also have a number of injury absentees at the moment, including Jamal Lewis, Kiren Trippier and Isaac Hayden.
With Newcastle seemingly out of the relegation battle, Everton have more to play for right now. The Toffees will be fighting for their lives on Thursday.
With that in mind, Forebet predicts that Everton will edge out Newcastle – scoring over 1.5 goals on their way to victory.