Tottenham Hotspur vs. Everton Preview: In-form clubs meet ahead of Christmas

Even in losses, Tottenham Hotspur had some strong performances, so the winless skid had to stop eventually. Now that they’ve made it two out of three, they hope to finish the year well. Spurs may be happy with their first half of the season despite that decline, since they are still among the five teams grouped at the top of the table.

The feelings are even more favorable for Everton. This was a team that had real relegation concerns going into the season following three consecutive finishes in the 16th and 17th places. To make matters worse, the team was docked ten points for profit and sustainability rule infractions. It appeared as though this was the year the Toffees would finally run out of money.

Then, something incredible happened. Everton has won five of the last six, keeping four clean sheets in a row. While the table shows the club just 16th (seven points ahead of the relegation zone), the reality is that a 8-2-7 record is good enough for ninth place currently, level with Brighton and four points ahead of Chelsea.

For the Spurs, this is an intriguing one. Although the visitors are undoubtedly in excellent form, Tottenham is still the clear favorite and hasn’t looked too bad lately either. Although this is not the best time to play Everton, elite teams must find methods to triumph on Saturday regardless of how well their rivals are performing.

Even in losses, Tottenham Hotspur had some strong performances, so the winless skid had to stop eventually. Now that they’ve made it two out of three, they hope to finish the year well. Spurs may be happy with their first half of the season despite that decline, since they are still among the five teams grouped at the top of the table.

For Everton, the emotions are even more positive. This was a club that entered the season with legitimate relegation fears after three-straight finishes of 16th and 17th, and then received a 10-point deduction for profit and sustainability rules violations on top of that. It seemed like this could be the year that the Toffees finally were unable to stay afloat.

Then, something incredible happened. Everton has won five of the last six, keeping four clean sheets in a row. While the table shows the club just 16th (seven points ahead of the relegation zone), the reality is that a 8-2-7 record is good enough for ninth place currently, level with Brighton and four points ahead of Chelsea.

This is an interesting one for Spurs. Clearly the visitors are in great form, but Tottenham will still be the favorite and has not looked too shabby itself recently. This is not the ideal time to meet Everton, but top clubs have to find ways to win regardless of how well their opponents are playing, and that is the case on Saturday.

Tottenham Hotspur (5th, 33pts) vs. Everton (16th, 16pts)

Date: Saturday, December 23
Time: 10:00 am ET, 3:00 pm UK
Location: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
TV: Peacock Premium (USA)

Even though Everton hasn’t played all that well in the last month, they still keep winning. The team doesn’t seem to enjoy possession, but they also don’t give up many opportunities and are more proficient at the opposite end of the field to make it matter. As a result, they have a well-organized defense and are scoring enough goals to be competitive.

It remains to be seen if this is enough to unseat Spurs. Abdoulaye Doucoure, who has scored in two of his past three games, will not play for Everton, and Ashley Young and Vitaliy Mykolenko are also doubtful to play. Tottenham is missing a number of players, notably Yves Bissouma once more, but the home team should feel more at ease with their bench.

Lilywhite Spotlight: Richarlison resurgence

Dejan Kulusevski is most likely back in midfield due to Bissouma’s ban (and Brennan Johnson’s health), which almost certainly guarantees Richarlison a spot in the starting lineup. The Brazilian is currently averaging 0.51 G/90 this season, which is on course to be the most of his career after a dismal debut season with Spurs.

Even though he may regress in the future, Ange Postecoglou appears to be confident enough in his front three players—regardless of whether Johnson or Kulusevski are positioned next to Richarlison and Heung-Min Son—for him to be trusted. While Harry Kane’s absence is still felt, it will be very important going forward for his apparent successor to get more engaged. Watch for the former Everton forward to provide an additional spark against his former club.

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