Everton are facing a nervy end to their Premier League campaign as they fight to avoid relegation. With just five games left, the Toffees find themselves in 19th place, two points off safety. Despite a change in management in January, Sean Dyche has only managed to average a point per game in his 13 league fixtures in charge.
Looking at Everton’s remaining fixtures, their next game sees them travel to Leicester City, which could prove to be a crucial fixture in the relegation battle. Leicester’s form has improved slightly under new boss Dean Smith, but Everton will be looking to turn the tables after losing 2-0 to The Foxes back in November. The return of injured players Jamie Vardy, Harvey Barnes and James Maddison for Leicester makes it tough to predict the outcome, but a draw seems like a likely result.
A week later, Everton are on the road again, this time visiting Brighton & Hove Albion who have been pushing for European football. Brighton won at Goodison Park earlier in the season and have a strong home record, so it’s difficult to see Everton coming away with anything from this fixture. A 2-0 defeat seems a realistic possibility.
Then comes a daunting task for the Toffees as they host Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, who are on course for a treble. City have hit form at the right time and Everton’s poor record of just one away win in 16 games this season makes it hard to see an upset happening. However, City’s midweek Champions League semi-final tie with Real Madrid could offer a glimmer of hope for Everton to claim a point. In the end, though, City’s quality should prevail and a 2-1 win for the visitors seems likely.
Everton’s second-to-last game sees them travel to face Wolves at Molineux. While Wolves have improved under Julen Lopetegui and could potentially be mathematically safe by this point, they lack goals this season and a goalless draw could be on the cards.
Finally, on the last day of the season, Everton host Bournemouth at Goodison Park. The Cherries have won three of their last four games and could be safe from relegation already, meaning they might not be as desperate for the points as Everton will be. Despite Bournemouth’s past success on Merseyside, Everton should be able to pick up a much-needed win. However, it remains to be seen if it will be enough to keep them in the Premier League.
Overall, we predict Everton will only pick up five points from their remaining fixtures, which would leave them on a total of 33 points. This would make for a nervy end to the season and leave their fate uncertain until the final day.
