This weekend throws up a very interesting clash at Goodison Park as Everton play host to Wolves, both sides have designs of being the team that is otherwise known as the ‘best of the rest’ but they also have dreams of eventually breaking the glass ceiling of the ‘Big Six’.
For Everton it has been a season of inconsistency, something that has well and truly hampered any chances of inviting themselves to the top table of the Premier League, while for Wolves you almost forget that this is a side that won the EFL Championship last May.
Such has been their quick transformation to the Premier League, you almost wouldn’t believe that this is a side that was playing in the second tier last season and especially when you consider that they go into this fixture lying 7th in the table.
That is the place that Everton would like to occupy, albeit they are just one place below in 8th. At the same time though, on the evidence of how the two clubs have performed this season it is arguably Wolves who are more suited to eventually moving into the top six.
Moving out of the mid-table bracket may be a pipe dream, but there is still the small matter of potentially qualifying for the Europa League next season and for that reason this fixture takes on another level of significance.
For Everton they managed to bounce back form their F.A. Cup defeat to Millwall when they got the better of Huddersfield on Tuesday, Richarlison’s early strike meant that there was to be no perfect start for the Terriers’ new boss Jan Siewert.
While on the same evening Wolves made incredibly light work of West Ham at Molineux, their 3-0 victory over the Hammers not only meant that its back to back league successes but also that they’ve scored seven goals in their last two outings.
And those two wins have almost produced a quarter of their output in terms of league goals this season, something that perhaps suggests that Nuno Espirito Santo’s men are hitting a purple patch in terms of form right now.
Although Wolves are red hot right now, it is perhaps to fair to say that both they and Everton have failed to convert their chances this season. Something that has certainly been a fair criticism for the Toffees.
And it is the lack of a real consistent marksmen that has meant that they are finding themselves in the volatile mid-table bracket than opposed to knocking on the door of the likes of both Chelsea and Manchester United.
Even if both sides do have their apparent issues in front of goal, they do at least create plenty of chances and that should mean that we are in for a very entertaining clash at Goodison Park this weekend.
There’s not a great deal of difference between these two sides, arguably a better measure of how well Wolves have progressed this season and because it looks so evenly matched, then a draw could be where the smart money goes.