Carlo Ancelotti will take charge of his first match as Everton boss on Boxing Day when the Toffees welcome Burnley to Goodison Park in the Premier League.
The Italian was in the stands for Saturday's draw with Arsenal but will be looking for a victory against a Burnley side that will enter the clash off the back of successive Premier League wins.
Match preview
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Duncan Ferguson's time as interim boss has now finished, with the Scot being replaced by Ancelotti. It was some coup for Everton to lure the Italian to Goodison Park, and the former Napoli boss will be desperate to get off to the best possible start in Thursday afternoon's clash on Merseyside.
There is no question that Everton showed improvement under Ferguson, beating Chelsea before picking up draws against Manchester United and Arsenal. These are the type of matches that the Toffees will be expected to win, though, and anything less than three points against Burnley will be seen as a disappointment.
The Merseyside giants have certainly underperformed this season, sitting in 15th spot in the table with just 19 points from their 18 matches. Only the bottom four have suffered more defeats this term, but they are entering a sequence of matches where it might be possible to put together some sort of run.
They will face Burnley, Newcastle, Brighton & Hove Albion and West Ham United in four of their next five in the league, although the run also includes a trip to the champions Manchester City on New Year's Day.
Ancelotti, who led Chelsea to the 2009-10 Premier League title, has enjoyed vast success during his coaching career, but the Italian now faces a different challenge entirely.
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As for Burnley, a run of three straight defeats between November 30 and December 7 was slightly concerning, but the Clarets have won their last two against Newcastle and Bournemouth.
Sean Dyche's side were not particularly brilliant against Bournemouth last time out but managed to secure three important points, leaving them 10th in the table on 24 points heading into the next set of fixtures.
The Clarets are nine points clear of the relegation zone and sit just three points off the top six, showing that a strong festive period could well leave them in and around the Europa League positions.
Burnley have actually also won three of their last five Premier League matches with Everton, which includes a 1-0 victory at Goodison Park in October 2017. Interestingly, meanwhile, there has never been a Premier League draw between these two teams.
Everton Premier League form: LLLWDD
Everton form (all competitions): LLWDLD
Burnley Premier League competition form: WLLLWW
Team News
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Everton will again be without the services of Jean-Philippe Gbamin, Theo Walcott, Andre Gomes and Morgan Schneiderlin through injury, while a hamstring issue will also rule Alex Iwobi out.
Moise Kean was praised by Ancelotti during Monday's press conference and is in contention to start, although it seems likely that Bernard will get the nod alongside Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the final third.
Gylfi Sigurdsson should also start having made his return from injury against the Gunners, while Djibril Sidibe is expected to get the nod over Seamus Coleman on the right side of a back four which should include Mason Holgate.
As for Burnley, Jeff Hendrick will miss out through suspension, while Ben Gibson is still on the sidelines with a groin problem. Aaron Lennon is also struggling with illness, although the experienced attacker could yet be available.
Chris Wood and Ashley Barnes are expected to continue in attack despite Rodriguez scoring against Bournemouth, while the spot vacated by Hendrick could be handed to Robbie Brady.
Everton possible starting lineup:
Pickford; Sidibe, Mina, Holgate, Digne; Sigurdsson, Davies, Delph; Bernard, Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison
Burnley possible starting lineup:
Pope; Bardsley, Tarkowski, Mee, Taylor; Brady, Westwood, Cork, McNeil; Barnes, Wood.
We say: Everton 2-1 Burnley
Burnley will enter the match in the better form, but the Ancelotti factor could play a huge role. Goodison Park should be bouncing, and we fancy Everton to pick up a narrow win in front of their own supporters.
Matt Law
