Eddie Howe takes what is left of his Newcastle United side to Goodison Park on Thursday night to take on Sean Dyche's embattled Everton side.
Everton were recently hit with a hefty 10-point deduction for breaching FFP rules and dropped into the Premier League relegation zone as a result.
However, it came at a time when Sean Dyche seems to have galvanised the side and got them playing some decent football again, and as such it's unlikely they will spend too much time in the drop zone.
Meanwhile, Newcastle keep defying the odds by putting out threadbare squads against top opposition and coming out with results. Eddie Howe pretty much only has 11 first-team players at his disposal so the side picks itself, the hard part is filling up the bench. But that hasn't stopped Newcastle hammering Chelsea, embarrassing Manchester United and being denied a win in the last minute against Paris Saint-Germain.
Those results should skew the odds in Newcastle's favour on Thursday and that's how Paul Merson has seen it in his prediction for Sportskeeda.
"Newcastle have been absolutely phenomenal this season. I have a lot of respect for the way they've played. The manager's great and he improved people - that's the name of the game when you're a coach. They're getting the rewards they deserve.
"Anthony Gordon's going to get a lot of stick at Goodison Park this week. He's been great so far, but he won't be too comfortable against Everton. Newcastle slaughtered United without a lot of their players, and I can't talk highly enough of them.
"I'd be shocked if Everton got relegated this season. They've got a lot of X-factor results in them, and they did well against Villa away from home. Everton can be dangerous on their day and with the three promoted teams struggling in the Premier League, they should be able to stay up.
"Everton are a funny team at home - they're beating as an away side at the moment. If they're able to create chances at home, they can cause Newcastle a few problems. I'm not sure if Newcastle can keep pulling off excellent performances every week, but they should be able to win this game.
"Prediction: Everton 1-2 Newcastle United"
We're not sure which of Everton's squad are the good singers, but we wish them luck in the X-Factor, we'll just concentrate on the football.
In all seriousness, a win on Thursday night isn't a foregone conclusion, but it's surely the most likely outcome.
It all depends on whether Anthony Gordon can keep his head.
PL | GD | PTS | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Liverpool
|
13 | 18 | 34 |
2 |
Arsenal
|
13 | 12 | 25 |
3 |
Chelsea
|
13 | 12 | 25 |
4 |
Brighton
|
13 | 5 | 23 |
5 |
Manchester City
|
13 | 3 | 23 |
6 |
Nottingham Forest
|
13 | 3 | 22 |
7 |
Tottenham Hotspur
|
13 | 14 | 20 |
8 |
Brentford
|
13 | 3 | 20 |
9 |
Manchester United
|
13 | 4 | 19 |
10 |
Fulham
|
13 | 0 | 19 |
11 |
Newcastle United
|
13 | 0 | 19 |
12 |
Aston Villa
|
13 | -3 | 19 |
13 |
Bournemouth
|
13 | 1 | 18 |
14 |
West Ham United
|
13 | -7 | 15 |
15 |
Everton
|
13 | -11 | 11 |
16 |
Leicester
|
13 | -11 | 10 |
17 |
Crystal Palace
|
13 | -7 | 9 |
18 |
Wolves
|
13 | -10 | 9 |
19 |
Ipswich
|
13 | -11 | 9 |
20 |
Southampton
|
13 | -15 | 5 |