Seeking another astonishing Amex Stadium massacre, Everton travel south for a Premier League showdown with Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.
Brighton put on a five-star showing in their last Premier League outing, thrashing relegation-threatened Sheffield United 5-0 at Bramall Lane.
Goals from Facundo Buonanotte, Danny Welbeck and a Jack Robinson own goal preceded a sublime brace from Africa Cup of Nations winner Simon Adingra.
The emphatic victory propelled the Seagulls to seventh on the Premier League rankings, with six points now separating them from the Europa League slot.
After alternating between victory and defeat since the back end of January, Roberto De Zerbi will be eager for his side to build on their spectacular performance in South Yorkshire.
The last time the Seagulls posted consecutive Premier League wins was back in September, but they’ll fancy their chances of repeating that feat against a beleaguered Everton side.
Everton’s unbeaten streak at Goodison Park doesn’t necessarily reflect dominance, but they’re yet to suffer a league defeat on home turf this year.
They’ve shared the spoils in three consecutive top-flight games, including the 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace last time out, which was enough to lift them back above the dotted line into 17th place.
Only a superior goal difference separates Everton from their newly promoted relegation rivals, but the Toffees will hope to put some daylight between them by extending their unbeaten run against Brighton to three games.
Match Preview
After alternating between a draw and a win in a six-match unbeaten streak that started towards the end of last year, Brighton have blown hot and cold since their damning 4-0 defeat to Luton.
While they’ll be looking for some semblance of stability, the most recent victory over United saw the Seagulls extend their peculiar goalscoring pattern.
Since thrashing Tottenham 4-2 in December, Brighton have netted at least four goals in every other game for nine matches. This firepower has been particularly potent at home, with two four-goal hauls against Spurs and Crystal Palace.
De Zerbi and his troops have transformed the Amex into a fortress, boasting an 11-game unbeaten streak since September’s Europa League defeat to AEK Athens ahead of Everton’s visit.
Despite a promising festive period, where they secured four consecutive Premier League wins, Everton’s survival fight has hit a stumbling block.
The Toffees have failed to pick up maximum points in any of their last eight Premier League contests (D4, L4), boasting the current longest winless sequence in the top flight, which paints an alarming picture.
Despite the awful run of form, they’ll travel to the south coast on the back of one defeat in their last five Premier League games (D4), but their inability to turn a point into three has been a major issue for Dyche’s side.
The trip to the Amex may present an opportune scenario for the Merseyside club to return to winning ways for the first time since they defeated Burnley in mid-December.
Everton’s sensational 5-1 win over Brighton at the Amex last season offers a flicker of hope. Dyche’s troops also held the Seagulls to a 1-1 draw at Goodison Park, meaning there hasn’t been a home triumph in the last six meetings between the two teams.
Team news & potential line-ups
Brighton winger Karou Mitoma had to be replaced in the second half of their win at Bramall Lane and has emerged as a major doubt due to a back injury.
De Zerbi will also be without James Milner, Jack Hinshelwood, and top goalscorer Joao Pedro, but Julio Enciso returns to the fold for the first time since August.
Meanwhile, Dyche should be able to call upon Vitaly Mykolenko even though he picked up a knock in the draw against Palace.
Seamus Coleman is expected to line up on the opposite flank after rejoining training following his recovery from an illness, but Andre Gomes and Arnaut Danjuma remain sidelined.
Brighton & Hove Albion potential starting line-up:
(4-2-3-1): Bart Verbruggen; Tariq Lamptey, Jan Paul van Hecke, Lewis Dunk, Pervis Estupinan; Billy Gilmour, Pascal Gross; Simon Adingra, Facundo Buonanotte, Ansu Fati; Danny Welbeck.
Everton potential starting line-up:
(4-4-1-1): Jordan Pickford; Seamus Coleman, James Tarkowski, Jarrad Branthwaite, Vitaly Mykolenko; Jack Harrison, Amadou Onana, James Garner, Dwight McNeil; Abdoulaye Doucoure; Dominic Calvert-Lewin.