Everton will seek to return to winning ways in the Premier League when they travel to St. James’ Park to face Newcastle United on Wednesday evening.
The Royal Blues had put together a seven-game unbeaten league run between the end of August and the start of October, but they have since endured back-to-back defeats against Man United and Tottenham.
The 2-0 defeat to Spurs at the weekend was their fourth loss of the season, and Frank Lampard will want his side to improve and put in a better display against an in-form Newcastle side.
Anthony Gordon will be available for selection after missing the last game at Tottenham due to suspension. Mason Holgate is back in the squad, but Yerry Mina, Ben Godfrey, Andros Townsend and Nathan Patterson remain out injured.
Goalkeeper
Jordan Pickford made a costly error against Spurs by fouling Kane in the box and conceding a penalty, which the England skipper perfectly converted. As a result, the Everton goalkeeper will be desperate to redeem himself by putting in a strong show against Newcastle in midweek.
Defence
Frank Lampard is set to revert to a flat back four from the 5-3-2 formation he used in the defeat to Spurs. This will see Seamus Coleman and Vitalii Mykolenko operating from the full-back positions in the Everton lineup, with James Tarkowski partnering Conor Coady at the heart of the Everton backline.
The Toffees’ defence will be in for a stiff challenge against a pacey and brave Newcastle side that doesn’t hesitate to pour numbers forward when required.
Midfield
Alex Iwobi, Idrissa Gueye and Amadou Onana are likely to be the 3-man midfield in the Everton lineup. Gueye will sit deep and try disrupting Newcastle’s play, while Iwobi and Onana move all across the pitch and keep things ticking for the visitors.
Lampard’s midfield trio would have to work extremely hard as a unit in winning the battles against the likes of Bruno Guimaraes, Joelinton and Sean Longstaff.
Attack
Anthony Gordon, available for selection, will walk straight into the Everton lineup and replace Dwight McNeil. His pace and tireless running could cause headaches for the Newcastle defence. Demarai Gray will look to put in a strong display from the left flank in the Everton lineup, with Neal Maupay tasked with leading the Everton attack once again.
This means Dominic Calvert-Lewin will again have to be content with a role on the bench, but he might come on to impact the game in the final quarter at St James’ Park if the Toffees are in need of a goal by then as Lampard looks to ease the England international into the side following a serious thigh injury.
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