17/10Luton (3-4-2-1): Thomas Kaminski; Reece Burke; Teden Mengi; Gabriel Osho; Fred Onyedinma; Albert Sambi Lokonga; Ross Barkley; Alfie Doughty; Carlton Morris; Tahith Chong; Elijah Adebayo;
Everton (4-4-1-1): Jordan Pickford; Ben Godfrey; James Tarkowski; Jarrad Branthwaite; Ashley Young; Jack Harrison; Idrissa Gueye; James Garner; Dwight McNeil; Abdoulaye Doucouré; Dominic Calvert-Lewin;
The unknowns surrounding the relegation zone in the English Premier League are coming out. Everton and Brentford have managed to put some distance between themselves and the relegation zone, with only three teams left in the fight. Newcomers Burnley and Luton, along with Nottingham, are at a distance of within just two points, and it could all be decided in the last round.
Many are of the opinion that Rob Edwards should be named manager of the year if he can survive with his Luton Town side. “The Hatters” have certainly garnered a lot of sympathy, but to survive, you need points, and those have been in short supply of late. The end of the season, on the other hand, saw Everton get into excellent form and definitely dealt with the relegation threat that the FA posed after being served eight points deduction.
Luton hasn’t won in three consecutive league games now, but nothing is surprising about that when it comes to a team at the bottom of the standings. In the last round, the Hatters didn’t take advantage of the personnel problems in the Wolverhampton camp and lost 1-2 at Molineux. Well, at least they didn’t concede five goals as they had days earlier against Brentford and Manchester City.
Everton’s survival in England’s top division is due to a great run in April. In six games, The Toffees lost only to Chelsea, against whom they also conceded six goals. And on the background of this defeat are impressive four clean sheets, which in turn led to four victories. However, this has its explanation. Everton have four successes in a row at home at Goodison Park. Among these was a 2-0 win in the derby with Liverpool, which denied the Reds a late title push.
Today’s match is of life and death for the hosts, and since the beginning of the season, we can see that the team finds a way to motivate itself even during the match when it loses by more than a goal difference. On the whole, Edwards’ boys are doing great in attack but not in defence. On the other hand, we have Everton, who have achieved their objective and can play football, which appeals to their fans until the end. “The Toffees” may be in pretty good form, but since the middle of December, they have been without a win on the road.