Monday 16 March 2015 07:31, UK
Everton will be hoping to win their first Premier League home game in exactly three months when they welcome Newcastle United to Goodison Park on Sunday.
The Toffees have not won in the top flight in front of their own fans since beating QPR on December 15.
They have also won just one of their last 12 Premier League matches and are in danger of getting sucked into the relegation battle.
They could ease any relegation worries with victory over Newcastle, who have struggled for consistency in recent months.
The Magpies haven’t won back-to-back matches since November and were beaten 5-0 in their last away match at Manchester City.
Team news
Everton full-back Leighton Baines (groin) faces a late fitness test ahead while centre-back John Stones is expected to be available again after missing Thursday's Europa League win over Dynamo Kiev due to a virus.
Aaron Lennon could return after being cup-tied for the Europa League but Gareth Barry misses out as he starts a two-match suspension and (hamstring), Tony Hibbert, Steven Pienaar and Aiden McGeady (all knee) remain sidelined.
Papiss Cisse will miss the trip to Goodison as he begins a seven-match ban for spitting at Jonny Evans but Jack Colback is available again after sitting out the last two games following his 10th booking of the campaign.
He will be joined in the squad by keeper Rob Elliot following his recovery from a long-term thigh injury and midfielder Remy Cabella, who has shaken off a knee problem, but full-back Massadio Haidara is out after having an injection in his damaged knee and joins a lengthy list of absentees.
Opta facts
Romelu Lukaku has scored four goals in five Premier League appearances against Newcastle.
Ross Barkley and Arouna Kone have both scored in two of their three Premier League games against Newcastle.
Everton scored from both of their attempts on target in their 2-3 defeat at St James Park back in December.
The Toffees have won just four of their last 16 Premier League games at Goodison Park (W4 D7 L5), drawing the last four in a row.
There has been a goal scored inside the first five minutes in three of the last four Premier League games between the Magpies and the Toffees.
Merson's prediction
I don’t think Everton can afford not to win this game. If they don’t win this they then have to go to Kiev – which is about 25 days away from here – and then play QPR away. They need to win this game. If they draw it, I think they are in a bit of trouble and will get dragged into the scrap. I’m going to go 1-0 but I’m not sure of it. They will be the best team to have been relegated from the Premier League if they go down. I can’t see it, though, but they could easily get dragged into the relegation battle. They should be doing more with the quality they’ve got.
PAUL PREDICTS: 1-0
Betting
Everton are odds-on (4/5) to make it back-to-back home wins as Newcastle travel to Goodison Park as 100/30 underdogs, while a draw is 13/5 with Sky Bet. It’s 3/1 for a goal to be scored inside the first 10 minutes, while Romelu Lukaku is 5/4 to continue his scoring streak against the Magpies. Meanwhile, Newcastle are 7/4 to finish in the top half of the table, while Everton are 6/1 to do likewise. The Toffees, however, are 10/1 contenders for the Europa League after the narrow first-leg win.
