Two Premier League teams seeking to return to winning ways will face off at St James' Park on Wednesday night when Newcastle United play host to Everton.
The Magpies currently sit sixth in the table, while the Toffees are eight places and five points further back in 14th.
Match preview
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Following on from impressive 4-1 and 5-1 victories against Fulham and Brentford respectively, the goals dried up when Newcastle locked horns with Manchester United last weekend, but they at least came away from Old Trafford with a point.
Both sides lacked a cutting edge in the final third and had to settle for a goalless draw, a result which sees the Magpies remain in sixth and four points behind fourth-placed Chelsea who have a game in hand.
Eddie Howe's side have proven to be a tough nut to crack so far this season, losing only one of their 10 Premier League games – a 2-1 defeat at Liverpool courtesy of a 98th-minute winner from Fabio Carvalho. The Magpies have also conceded only nine goals this campaign, fewer than any other side in the division.
In addition, Newcastle have a strong record on home soil after losing only one of their last 15 top-flight matches at St James' Park, and securing at least a point on Wednesday would see them remain unbeaten in their first six home games of a season for the first time since 2011-12.
Howe and co will be keen to claim maximum points against Everton, though, having already drawn six times this term, and they will fancy their chances of success after winning three of their last four encounters against the Toffees, including a 3-1 home victory last season.
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Frank Lampard's Everton side had put together a seven-game unbeaten league run between the end of August and beginning of October, but they have since suffered back-to-back defeats against Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.
A 2-1 loss against the Red Devils at Goodison Park was followed by a 2-0 defeat away at Spurs last weekend, with Harry Kane and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg on the scoresheet to condemn the Toffees to their fourth defeat of the campaign.
Just two points now separate Everton from the relegation zone, but with a run of five fixtures leading up to the World Cup against teams outside of the so-called top six, Lampard's camp will be confident of steering themselves away from danger in the coming weeks.
However, Everton's away form leaves a little to be desired as they have lost 15 times on the road since the start of last season, more than any other Premier League team, while they have also won the fewest away games (three) in this period excluding promoted and relegated sides.
The Toffees have won only two of their last eight meetings with Newcastle, but they were able to claim maximum points from their most recent clash with the Magpies, a slender 1-0 home triumph in March courtesy of a dramatic 99th-minute winner from Alex Iwobi.
Team News
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Newcastle's club-record signing Alexander Isak and star winger Allan Saint-Maximin have both suffered setbacks in their recoveries from respective thigh and hamstring injuries, with the former ruled out until after the World Cup.
Matt Ritchie (calf), Karl Darlow (ankle) and Emil Krafth (knee) all remain sidelined with injuries, but Jonjo Shelvey returned to the matchday squad for the first time this season against Man United and is available for selection again on Wednesday.
Howe is unlikely to make too many changes, if any, to his first XI, but should he decide to freshen up his side, the likes of Matt Targett, Joe Willock and Ryan Fraser will all be pushing to start after beginning on the bench last weekend.
As for Everton, they have no new injury concerns, with Yerry Mina (calf), Ben Godfrey (fractured fibula), Nathan Patterson (ankle) and Andros Townsend (ACL) all still on the sidelines.
Anthony Gordon missed the defeat at Spurs due to suspension, but the attacker will be available for selection on Wednesday and he is likely to replace Dwight McNeil in the starting lineup.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin has made substitute appearances in the last two matches since recovering from a knee injury, but the Englishman is expected to begin again on the bench with Neal Maupay set to lead the line in attack.
Newcastle United possible starting lineup:
Pope; Trippier, Botman, Burn, Targett; Willock, Guimaraes, Joelinton; Almiron, Wilson, Fraser
Everton possible starting lineup:
Pickford; Coleman, Coady, Tarkowski, Mykolenko; Iwobi, Gueye, Onana; Gray, Maupay, Gordon
We say: Newcastle United 2-0 Everton
Newcastle will head into Wednesday's fixture as favourites considering their recent form, position in the table and record on home soil, while Everton's poor away form also bodes well for the hosts.
The Toffees have scored in 20 of their last 21 encounters with Newcastle, but they may struggle to breach a resilient Magpies backline on this occasion, with Howe's side also possessing enough quality to come away with all three points despite the absence of Isak and Saint-Maximin.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Oliver Thomas
