After a series of 5 wins and 4 losses, Tottenham are gradually recovering in the last 2 rounds.
Tottenham continued their excitement after a 4-1 victory over Newcastle by defeating Nottingham 2-0 in the previous round. However, Spurs' victory was not perfect as Yves Bissouma was sent off.
Tottenham have received 4 red cards in 17 Premier League matches this season, the number as many as the previous 2 seasons combined. The last time Tottenham had more players sent off was in the 2008-09 season.
Not only Bissouma is absent, Postecoglou also does not have the service of destiny Udogie, after receiving 5 yellow cards. Meanwhile, Giovani Lo Celso could be back in time after missing the match against Nottingham.
With James Maddison absent, Dejan Kulusevski has been taking on a creative role for Spurs in recent times. This player contributed his footsteps to both goals in the match against Nottingham. Since making his Premier League debut in February 2022, only Son Heung-min has scored and assisted in more games in the competition than Kulusevski.
Meanwhile, Everton are showing a positive face after a 10-point penalty from the Premier League. They are currently ranked 16th on the rankings and 7 points above the relegation zone. Everton have won all 4 recent matches and kept a clean sheet in all of them.
Since the defeat to Liverpool on October 21, Everton have lost just one Premier League game, losing 3-0 to Man United at the end of November.
However, Everton's spirit has somewhat declined after the defeat to Fulham in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals. More notably, they were equalized in the final minutes and eliminated from the penalty spot in that match.
In the Premier League, Everton won 2-0 against Burnley in the previous round, thanks to goals from Onana and Michael Keane. However, they paid a heavy price after the match when Abdoulaye Doucoure was injured.
Sean Dyche will be hoping for a good recovery from Vitalii Mykolenko, Ashley Young and Seamus Coleman. Meanwhile, Dele Alli is still sidelined due to injury and cannot return to his former team.
Along with Doucoure, Dwight McNeil is in good form, scoring 4 goals in the last 4 appearances in the tournament (2 goals, 2 assists). Only Doucoure has been involved in more Premier League goals for Everton than McNeil since Dyche took charge.
Everton's all 8 wins in the Premier League this season have come with a ball possession rate of less than 50%. Therefore, it is not surprising if Dyche's team continues to choose a defensive counter-attacking style against Tottenham.
However, Everton will have to worry about the form of Richarlison, who played at Goodison Park from 2018 to 2022. The Brazilian striker has scored three goals in his last two games, the same number as in his 39 previous appearances.
Tottenham have scored in their last 29 Premier League games, the longest run in the competition. Therefore, it is very difficult for goalkeeper Jordan Pickford to keep a clean sheet for the 5th consecutive match.
In terms of head-to-head record, Tottenham have lost just one of their last 21 Premier League games against Everton (W10 D10). The only defeat in that time came in September 2020.
Since winning three consecutive Premier League away games against Spurs between 2006 2007 and 2008-09, Everton have picked up just seven points from 14 since then (W1 D4 L9).
Dyche, meanwhile, have lost five of their six Premier League away games against Tottenham, except for the 1-1 draw at Wembley in August 2017.
Notably, the former Burnley coach lost both away matches at Tottenham Hotspur with a total score of 09,00. And this is not a good sign for Everton.
The match between Tottenham and Everton takes place at 22:00 on December 23 (Vietnam time), live on K+.
