Eddie Howe turns 48 on Saturday, and I suspect the one birthday gift he’ll be asking for is three points on Merseyside.
Aside from our 4-0 win at Union SG two months ago, Newcastle United haven’t won any of their other 13 away games across all competitions and pre-season friendlies since April, with our last Premier League victory on the road coming at Leicester over six months ago.
That has to change soon. Not just because we allowed another away game to slip away thanks to Tuesday’s second-half collapse in Marseille, but because we’re 14th in the league and have Sunderland away in our next Premier League away day after Everton.
We must turn the corner soon, but with missing ingredients Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall now fit, signs of improvement in the first 45 at Marseille and a big win over Man City in our last league game, hopefully Saturday night can be a turning point.
Speaking ahead of our first trip to the Hill Dickinson Stadium, Howe said:
> _“The challenge for us is to try and find the levels of consistency that we know we are capable of._ _We are trying to navigate this period, keeping things fresh for the players._
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> _“The games bring different challenges. Fatigue is a big one and not necessarily physical but mental fatigue. The challenge for us to try and find the levels of consistency that we know we are capable of._
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> _“We are trying to navigate this period, keep things fresh and different for the players. Looking forward to all the games, the players have responded well in training.”_
Team news
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Kieran Trippier (hamstring) has been ruled out for a ‘around a month’, Sven Botman (back) is ‘nursing a back problem’ and Emil Krafth (knee) is also set to miss out.
Yoane Wissa (knee) trained on Wednesday and is finally edging closer, with Will Osula (ankle) expected to sit this one out again after seeing a specialist earlier this week.
Dan Burn is back from a ban after missing our win over Man City, while Lewis Hall, Joelinton and Nick Woltemade should all be fresh after they were rotated in midweek.
For Everton, holding midfielder Idrissa Gueye is suspended after his red card at Man Utd on Monday, with Seamus Coleman and Jarrad Branthwaite also set to be asbent.
Predicted XI
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**(4-3-3)**: _Pope – Livramento, Thiaw, Burn, Hall – Bruno, Tonali, Joelinton – Murphy, Woltemade, Barnes._
What I want to see is Ramsdale given a chance in goal and Schar alongside Thiaw once again after the pair did superbly against Erling Haaland last Saturday. However, what I think Howe will opt for is slightly different.
The boss has backed Pope since his costly mistake in Marseille and revealed his reluctance to rotate goalkeepers too much, while Burn’s leadership and aerial ability may be something he’ll opt for against a big Everton side who pose a threat from set pieces.
Elsewhere, I fully expect to see Hall come back in at left-back, Joelinton in midfield and Woltemade up front, with Barnes also a no-brainer on the left wing when you compare his recent form (four goals in three) to Gordon’s (no goal or assist in the league since January).
Match prediction
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While this isn’t quite literally a ‘must-win’, it feels vital that we end our wait for a Premier League away win this weekend when you factor in our desperate need for momentum, points and confidence two weeks away from the derby.
Everton don’t score many but are tight at the back and are rarely involved in high-scoring games, so the first goal here feels absolutely vital.
I expect us to put up a response to the Marseille collapse and dismal defeats at Brentford and West Ham, think we’ll be far better for Tino and Hall back in the side, but have a feeling this may be a low-scoring draw.
**Prediction:** Everton 1-1 Newcastle
Howay the lads!