David Moyes has expressed his desire for Everton to produce an upset when they face Newcastle in a Premier League season finale.
The Toffees come into the final day in good spirits, having given Goodison Park the perfect send-off after a 2-0 win against Southampton last weekend.
That result also saw Everton record back-to-back league wins for the first time since Moyes’ return back in January.
A run of results which now gives the Toffees an opportunity to end the season with three victories in a row - a feat not achieved in any of Everton’s seasons since the Premier League began.
While the Blues are arguably playing for pride, opponents Newcastle are still in a final day scrap for Champions League qualification.
The strong incentive for Eddie Howe’s side makes Everton’s task even harder, in addition to winning only one of their last six visits to St James’ Park.
Everton have managed to hold their own away from home under Moyes though, having taken a respectable tally of 14 points from the last 24 available.
Ending the season on a high was the main focus for Moyes, who answered the media ahead of Sunday’s fixture.
A theme of Everton's season has been the number of injuries to key members of the team.
It could be argued that Moyes has rarely had a fully-fit squad to pick from with the likes of James Tarkowski, Iliman Ndiaye, Dwight McNeil and Dominic Calvert-Lewin all suffering sustained periods out injured this term.
Club captain Seamus Coleman was then forced off early during the Goodison farewell, before the news of Jarrad Branthwaite's absence from this weekend.
On injuries, Moyes confirmed both players will be unavailable for the trip to St James' but remained tight-lipped on defensive changes.
"Jarrad is injured and won't be available, he'll be out for four or five weeks with his hamstring. There’s not much we can do about it, but we have to live with it.
"Seamus has a thigh strain so he won't be available, either."
The Everton boss was also quizzed on the future of Abdoulaye Doucoure, who looks set to leave the club this summer.
Doucoure is one of several squad members whose contracts expire at the end of the season, with the club reportedly having tried hard to convince the Frenchman to stay.
“Obviously we’re trying to rebuild, make things better and see what we can do more. We wanted him to stay," he said.
“We’ve made him an offer and he’s got a better one to go somewhere else. So from that point of view we have to live with that as well.
“I can only say since he’s been here he’s been really good, we’ve selected him every game we’ve played.
“I think he’s been a great servant for the club and he’s done a great job over many years here. We’ll miss him but I’ve got no hard feelings from his decision."
A Pleasing job
It can be easy to forget the position Everton were in at points this season, especially considering their certainty to finish comfortably around mid-table.
At the time of Moyes' second homecoming, the Blues sat only a point above the relegation zone in 17th, with just one win from their last 11 games.
Fast forward to now and the Toffees are mathematically certain to finish in 13th place, sitting 20 points clear from the drop - a tally better than the likes of Manchester United and Tottenham.
Analysing his side's trajectory in recent months, Moyes admitted his surprise with the eventual turnaround, and was full of praise for his players.
“I don’t know if we could’ve got much better than where we are from when I first came in.”
"If you'd given me the position from when I'd first taken over that we'd be going into the last game without needing any points, I'd have taken it all day long.
“I’m really pleased for us to get the points and we finished above a lot of good sides. The players have done a brilliant job.
“We now need to pick that up again and take it into the new stadium, but also into the new season.”
High expectations despite Newcastle challenge
With the Toffees being unable to finish any higher than 13th place, motivation for the last game has become a frequent topic.
The usual final day drama at both ends does not affect Everton this time around, prompting them to possibly play without pressure.
That obviously differs to opponents Newcastle who are still fighting to qualify for a Champions League place, which would cap a successful year thanks to securing their first major trophy in 70 years.
Moyes was full of praise towards his opponents and their achievements but highlighted his side's willingness to test them.
“They’ve done a remarkable job. It’s become a football club which is challenging all the big sides.
“They’ll give us a really good game. It’ll be a tough day for us to go there but we’ve been good away from home and we want to keep our form going.
“We’ve got in a good position but we want to go and see if we can make it difficult for Newcastle.”