Let’s delve in, shall we? We're looking at a fairly interesting clash between Everton and Newcastle United. When we peek over the fence into the goalkeeper yard, we see Newcastle United's Nick Pope pitching a pretty solid tent, with a sound rating of 7.45 and a whopping 23 saves. Everton on the other hand has Jordan Pickford with a credible 7.10 rating, but he could use a little muscle, having only 8 saves to his name this season.
Looking at the ground players, Newcastle's Harvey Barnes is bound to be sharp as a tack, sporting a 7.45 rating and 3 goals. Adding a pinch more salt to the mix is Fabian Schär and Anthony Gordon, both giving reasonably fine performances. Everton's squad boasts Dwight McNeil who's really been on fire, rocking an 8.07 rating and 3 bagged goals. Jarrad Branthwaite and Iliman Ndiaye aren't performing too shabby either.
The annals of our past matchups show a series of both chest-thumping wins and tie-cuts. Newcastle trumped Everton once with a lovely 4-1 scoreline, but most recently we saw the teams neck-and-neck, each scoring a solitary goal. And when we scour through regular season records, we see Newcastle with 3 wins, two draws, and a single loss. Everton could do with a pick-me-up with 1 win, 1 draw and... ugh!...4 losses.
And then we saunter down recent memory lane, looking at each team's recent results. Newcastle had some ups and downs with a commendable draw against big boys Manchester City, but a slip in the face of Fulham. Everton managed a sweet win against Crystal Palace but crumbled before Leicester City and Aston Villa. Ouch!
Now, if you ask me (and apparently you have because you're still here), all factors considered and the stars aligned, we might see Newcastle United having the upper hand in this showdown. So...
Albert’s Prediction: Newcastle United by 1