The Premier League season continues for Everton next Saturday when Newcastle United becomes their guest at the Goodison Park.
For the Toffees, this has been a starting point to forget but Newcastle have compiled their best start in the premier league in over a decade.
In the first five rounds of the bitter contest the Latics had been through a very, very long, disappointing and incredibly frustrating time before they were able to chalk up their first success in the premier league table last weekend and beat Crystal Palace 2-1.
Everton produced a very poor first half of football and found themselves being 1-0 down but when Dwight McNeil scored come back within minutes of the second half it was the first time the team had won a match after being a goal behind since October 2022.
McNeil for once rightly got to the headlines but the man who got Everton over the line was Jarrad Branthwaite as Everton was able to ease the remaining minutes of the match in comfort as compared to how they have cramped with the lead in the previous weeks.
A total collapse to Bournemouth saw them humbled 3-2 after being two goals up with just 87 minutes to play and lightning was again at Birmingham when they travelled to Villa Park.
Losing at Newcastle last season prologue and after falling short of holding their lead against Leicester the previous week, getting all the three points at home and Regaining their confidence with the Branthwaite back in the team will partly of the pressure off the manager Dyche with the impending takeover looming in the club.
Everton are now out of the bottom three for the first time this season, but they could go into the international break back in it if they fail to take anything from this one.
Howe’s men should head into this fixture with plenty of confidence though, as their return of 11 points from a possible 18 at the beginning of the season is the best in the Premier League since the 2011/12 season.
Newcastle would finish fifth that season, ironically, they failed to make the Champions League on the last day at Goodison, but another season in the top five this season would be music to the ears of the fans at Tyneside.
Newcastle United’s 1-1 stalemate with Manchester City the prior a weekend ago and without crucial forward Alexander Isak indicates the Magpies are ready to challenge the European places once more this season after failing to secure a place in 2023-24 due to Manchester United’s FA Cup success.
As it stands, Newcastle are seventh, on the same number of points as promotion-chasing Fulham – another team that has made a terrific start – and more of the same in terms of good away days in 2024 will go a long way towards that European push.
Newcastle lost their last four away fixtures of 2023 and then 1 to Liverpool on the first of the year, nevertheless, the team has won 10 of the last 17 outside this competition.
There was no need for an away day in midweek though as their EFL Cup clash with AF Wimbledon was moved to St James Park after the flood that affected the League Two side last week.
Any match against Newcastle will likely see attention drawn to ex Sunderland youth player Jordan Pickford; however, the England no.1 will have to step up his game in recent performances for him to secure a vital win against his childhood enemies Sunderland’s chief rivals.
Newcastle are much weakened by the loss of Isak, the leading marksman in the previous campaign, who broke his toe in the Wanderers match.
Another away fixture at Goodison Park ought to aid them in their quest for another victory though, as the Toffees have triumphed in six of their last eight at their place and earned more Premier League points on their own turf than any other brigade since April.
Last Saturday, O'Neil was dealt another blow defensively when Santiago Bueno had to leave the game due to tightness in his glute. However, the center back has since trained normally, while Craig Dawson has participated in some practice after getting well from illness.
After a heroic display last weekend, O'Neil will not make significant changes to his Wolves lineup. However, Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, who played just 52 minutes, has all of Carlos Forbs, Goncalo Guedes, Hwang Hee-chan, and Pablo Sarabia fighting for his spot.
From a black-and-white standpoint, last season's match was a write-off as Newcastle lost 3-0 because of goals from Dwight McNeil, Abdoulaye Doucoure, and Beto in the closing minutes.
