Merry Christmas, Evertonians.
Hope you have all had a restful holiday period so far. No such rest for the players, though the festive fixtures are not quite as hectic as they have been in years gone by. Next up: Burnley at Turf Moor. The Toffees are hoping to avoid a third successive loss after narrow, but probably deserved, defeats against Chelsea and Arsenal. The Arsenal game looked close on paper and it did need a penalty to beat Jordan Pickford, but the Gunners held the Toffees at arm’s length
for long periods. That said, Everton had legitimate claims for a penalty that were turned down, a decision that looked even harsher 48 hours later when Fulham were awarded one for a similar incident.
But to go into Christmas 10th in the table – four places and eight points better off than last year – shows the progress that has been made. The Toffees have only earned more than their current tally of 24 points twice in the last decade.
With four games against sides in the bottom half to come in the next fortnight, there is a chance to put even more points on the board and ensure a new year spent looking up instead of down.
The opposition
There remains a bit of needle between Burnley and Everton off the pitch, with the Clarets attempting to claim up to £50m in compensation after Everton stayed up at their expense in 2021–22, before later being deducted points for breaching financial rules that year.
On the pitch, they seem to be going in different directions. Burnley are once again finding life difficult in the top flight, having been promoted or relegated in each of the last four seasons.
They spent about £111m in the summer to bolster their squad – a similar figure to Everton – but such are the riches of the Premier League that this figure is not enough to completely bridge the gap.
Their three wins have been against fellow newly promoted sides Leeds and Sunderland, and rock-bottom Wolves – the last of which came in October.
A seven-game losing streak followed, but a late goal from former Everton loanee Armando Broja earned them a point at Bournemouth last weekend.
Previous meeting
Everton 1–0 Burnley, 6 April 2023
Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s bizarre goal earned the Toffees a vital win when the sides last met in April 2023. Calvert-Lewin blocked goalkeeper Arijanet Muric’s attempted clearance and the ball bobbled over the line. It was Everton’s first win in 14 games and moved them four points clear of the drop zone.
Team news
Everton have no fresh injury concerns, with Merlin Röhl showing no ill effects after making his return from a hernia problem against Arsenal.
David Moyes says Jarrad Branthwaite is making progress but is still two or three weeks away from resuming full training. Seamus Coleman is also still sidelined with a hamstring problem.
Idrissa Gueye and Iliman Ndiaye are still on AFCON duty, having played in Senegal’s opening-game win over Botswana.
Final word
Everton’s fine away record, combined with Burnley’s struggles, means this is a game they should be looking to win. But with resources depleted, their attacking threat has been blunted, while Burnley may take heart from their battling point at Bournemouth. However, a failure to take all three points will be considered a disappointment.
