MATCH PREVIEW: EVERTON VS. BURNLEY

Photo credit: Clive Brunskill (Getty Images)

Breaking down Burnley

With eleven games of their season left to play, European football beckons for Carlo Ancelotti’s side.

Tomorrow’s clash with Burnley is the first of a favourable run of fixtures for the Toffees before two huge encounters with North London outfits Arsenal and Tottenham at the end of April.

But until then, it is crucial that Everton get over the line in matches against Burnley and Crystal Palace at home before a trip to Brighton.

The Clarets currently sit in 15^th and are the only team in the division without a win in their last six games but they did earn a credible 1-1 draw against Arsenal in their last outing.

It will take an imaginative display from the Toffees to break down Dyche’s rigid 4-4-2 setup which Ancelotti was very complimentary of in today’s press conference.

Out-witting sides in the lower half of the table has been a problem for much of the season, with Leeds, Newcastle and Fulham all coming away from Goodison Park with three points and a clean sheet this season.

However, the 1-0 home win over Southampton on March 1 will encourage Everton fans into believing that issue is in the past.

Absentees and recoveries

Their task will be made harder by the absence of two of their most important midfielders in James Rodriguez and Abdoulaye Doucoure.

Ancelotti has confirmed that the two summer signings will be unavailable for an indefinite period.

The Italian estimated Doucoure could be out for up to 10 weeks with a fractured foot but did hint Rodriguez may have recovered from a tight calf by the beginning of next month.

More favourable news for Evertonians will be return of Yerry Mina, Tom Davies and Seamus Coleman while on-loan goalkeeper Robin Olsen takes a fitness test later today.

Reflection and looking forward

This fixture serves as a good reference point to fifteen months earlier on Boxing Day 2019, as Carlo Ancelotti take charge of his first match as Everton manager, a 1-0 win thanks to a late Dominic Calvert-Lewin header.

Just six of the starting line-up that day started in Monday’s 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge, with the Blues languishing in fifteenth place after a poor start to the season under Marco Silva.

The rest of the season was an inconsistent frustrating one interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Toffees ended in a disappointing 12^th, their lowest finish since 2004.

The transformation since then has been nothing short of miraculous, with Everton making four inspired summer signings in James Rodriguez, Allan, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Ben Godfrey and having a blistering start to the campaign, winning their first seven in all competitions.

Now with eleven games of the season remaining, European football is an extremely achievable target for this side.

The Toffees sit in sixth on 46 points, two behind West Ham who they face in May two matches before the end of the season.

While they also have the distraction of an FA Cup quarter-final against the formidable Manchester City next weekend to contend with, the focus for Ancelotti’s men must be getting over the line tomorrow against Burnley.

For the first time in four years, Everton have a real chance of playing in Europe next season; tomorrow should be a good indication as to whether they are ready yet.