Newcastle United vs Everton preview: Team news, lineups, prediction
Everton can’t afford to lose a third successive Premier League game when they visit Newcastle United on Saturday.
The Toffees are enjoying a mixed season under David Moyes as they sit ninth in the Premier League, but consecutive defeats at Hill Dickinson Stadium have left fans frustrated.
Everton are aiming to qualify for European football for the first time since 2017-18, and they’ll need to get back to winning ways immediately if they wish to stand a chance.
Up next is a tricky test against Eddie Howe‘s side, who will want to leapfrog the Toffees in the table by securing all three points.
Goodison News highlights everything you need to know ahead of the match at St James’ Park.
Preview
The losses to Bournemouth and Manchetser United have stalled Everton’s progress under Moyes, but their last away win showed how they can produce a spirited performance on the road.
The Toffees ran out 2-1 winners against Fulham at Craven Cottage earlier in February, with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall producing a brilliant performance.
Their recent woes in L4 have left them needing another three points on their travels, but it’ll hardly be straightforward against the Magpies.
Newcastle come into the match having beaten Qarabag 3-2 (9-3 on aggregate) in the Champions League to secure their place in the round of 16.
They’ve won four of their last five matches in all competitions, but they haven’t won a league game at home since 7 January.
Form guide
Everton (last six games all comps): L W D D W L
Newcastle (last six games all comps): W L W W W L
Head-to-head
The last meeting between the two sides came in November, with the Magpies winning 4-1 at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
The Toffees did secure all three points on their last trip to St James’ Park, with Carlos Alcaraz scoring the winner in May.
| Stat | Everton |
| Games won | 77 |
| Games drawn | 38 |
| Games lost | 72 |
The last time they won away at Newcastle in consecutive seasons was in 2012-13/2013-14, and it certainly won’t be easy to repeat that achievement.
Overall, their head-to-head record is relatively split, which makes Saturday’s clash even harder to call.
In the last eight meetings between the sides, Everton have only scored more than one goal on one occasion (3-0 win in December 2023), and it definitely feels as though the Magpies may hold the edge over them in recent times.
Team news and predicted lineups
Although Jack Grealish is out for the rest of the season, Moyes has the majority of his squad to pick from on Saturday.
Jake O’Brien will return to the side after serving his one-match suspension during Monday’s loss to Man United, with Tim Iroegbunam dropping out.
After Michael Keane made a mistake against the Red Devils, Vitalii Mykolenko could come in, with Jarrad Branthwaite moving to left centre-back.
Newcastle will be without Bruno Guimaraes, Lewis Miley, Tino Livramento and Fabian Schar, which is a huge boost for the visitors.
Everton predicted XI: Pickford; O’Brien, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Gueye, Garner; Ndiaye, Dewsbury-Hall, Armstrong; Barry
Newcastle predicted XI: Pope; Trippier, Thiaw, Burn, Hall; Ramsey, Tonali, Joelinton; Elanga, Gordon, Barnes
How I predict Newcastle vs Everton to finish
Both sides have been inconsistent throughout the season, which makes this game very tough to predict.
Everton have been struggling to create chances in the final third, but they have proven themselves to be disciplined on their travels.
The Magpies have played their part in several entertaining games at St James’ Park, and they aren’t nailed-on to keep a clean sheet.
Therefore, with the teams being relatively even on paper, a 1-1 draw is the most likely outcome, and it’s safe to say that a draw is not the result either side will be happy with.
For the latest news updates on Everton, head over to Football Insider.