Everton travel to face Tottenham Hotspur with confidence after Ainsley Maitland-Niles’ late winner against Manchester United, while Spurs desperately need a turnaround after a disappointing start to the Premier League season.
Roberto De Zerbi’s Tottenham have collected just one point from their opening three league matches. They have lost to Brentford and Newcastle and were held to a goalless draw by Nottingham Forest. Even more worrying, Spurs are still without a Premier League goal this season.
Against Forest, Tottenham struggled badly in attack, failing to register a single shot on target. A disallowed Neco Williams goal also added to the frustration, but Spurs ultimately left the City Ground without finding the breakthrough.
Historically, Everton have a slight advantage, with 85 wins to Tottenham’s 74 and 60 draws across 192 meetings. However, recent history strongly favors Spurs, with Everton winning only once in their last 11 meetings. Tottenham also won the last encounter 1–0 on the final day of last season.
Spurs’ recent results underline their inconsistency. They have suffered defeats to Chelsea, Brentford and Newcastle, while their 5–1 victory over Charlton in the cup provided one of the few attacking highlights. In the league, however, Tottenham have now gone three consecutive matches without scoring.
Richarlison will not feature against his former club after being left out of Tottenham’s Premier League squad following the collapse of a proposed return to Everton. That leaves Spurs looking toward other attacking options, including Omar Marmoush, whose movement between the lines could cause problems for Everton.
For Everton, the opportunity is clear. De Zerbi’s attacking style can leave spaces defensively, something Brentford and Newcastle exploited earlier in the season. Everton will also hope Tyrique George can build on his goal against Manchester United, while Jack Grealish could be given a bigger role after an encouraging cameo.
The big question: Can Tottenham finally score their first league goal and secure their first Premier League victory, or will Everton take advantage of Spurs’ current struggles?
