MY ACCOUNT
Newcastle picked up another creditable draw at Manchester United last time out and now Eddie Howe’s men host Everton, who have lost their last two matches.
The Magpies ended a run of five successive heavy defeats on recent trips to Old Trafford in a match they could have won after twice hitting the woodwork and having a strong penalty claim turned down.
After 10 Premier League games, Newcastle’s only loss remains a 98th-minute defeat at Liverpool, with Howe having now claimed points off both United and Manchester City with impressive performances in both games.
A number of draws in matches they should have won have kept the Magpies grounded, but the recent 5-1 thrashing of Brentford and 4-1 defeat of Fulham suggest Wednesday night’s visitors, Everton, could be in for a long evening at St James’ Park.
Team news
Howe has a number of injury concerns mounting up, with right-back Emil Krafth, striker Alexander Isak and winger Matt Ritchie all likely to be out until after the World Cup.
There are also concerns for Allan Saint-Maximin, who recently suffered a third hamstring injury in quick succession and is likely to be rested for an extended period.
Centre-back Fabian Schar came off late at Old Trafford with a knock but is only a slight doubt against Everton but reserve goalkeeper Karl Darlow remains out with an ankle problem.
Toffees manager Frank Lampard has a number of centre-back absentees with Ben Godfrey still out, Mason Holgate a major doubt and Yerry Mina unlikely to feature following a setback in his recovery from an ankle injury.
Right-back Nathan Patterson is targeting a November return from his own ankle problem, but winger Andros Townsend could be out until after the World Cup with his anterior cruciate ligament injury.
In better news for Lampard, Anthony Gordon returns to the squad following a one-match suspension and striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin got 25 minutes against Tottenham last weekend as he continues to build up his fitness.
The stats
Everton were worryingly toothless at Tottenham on Saturday, not managing a single shot on target all game and barely passing the halfway line in the second half of that 2-0 defeat — the last of the Blues four off-target shots came in the 43rd minute.
Finding the back of the net is unlikely to be any easier at St James’ Park, either, with Newcastle boasting the best defensive record in the Premier League.
The hosts’ record of just nine goals conceded after 10 games looks even better if you remove their meetings with last season’s top two, Manchester City and Liverpool, from the record — against the rest, Newcastle have conceded just 0.5 goals per game.
Howe’s men are now finding their shooting boots, too, hitting 10 goals in their last four outings. And they enjoy cutting loose against Everton, winning three of their last four home games against them and scoring two or three goals in each of those victories.
Prediction
Everton have been credited with tightening up significantly under Lampard, but much of their supposed defensive improvement has to do with the excellent form of goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
The England stopper has the highest save percentage in the Premier League and no other keeper has been forced to make as many saves as him — opponents are still frequently breaking through the Everton defence but they are simply being denied more often by an in-form Pickford.
At the other end, Calvert-Lewin’s return to full fitness could not come soon enough for the Toffees, who went into the midweek round of Premier League fixtures with the fourth-worst goalscoring record in the top flight, netting just eight goals in 10 games.
But until Calvert-Lewin gets back up to speed and finds top form, the Toffees are likely to struggle against better defences.
Newcastle’s solid backline and excellent goalkeeper Nick Pope certainly qualify as one of the most resilient rearguards in the Premier League, and the hosts can be backed by splitting stakes between the 2-0 and 3-0 correct scores at 6/1 and 10/1 respectively.
