Newcastle Toons
Fansided

Newcastle United hope to rebound against Everton tomorrow

By Durim Halimi

NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 26: General view inside the stadium ahead of the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Burnley FC at St. James Park on February 26, 2019 in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 26: General view inside the stadium ahead of the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Burnley FC at St. James Park on February 26, 2019 in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Newcastle United will host Everton at St. James’ Park tomorrow for what is a must-win match for the Magpies.

Tomorrow’s match at St. James’ Park between Newcastle United and Everton will be one of the most important games of the season for the Magpies. Last weekend’s 2-0 defeat against West Ham prevented the Toon from going nine points clear of the bottom three. With 31 points from 29 matches this season, Newcastle need all three points against Everton to move significantly closer to Top Flight survival.

Everton occupy the final spot in the top ten of the table with 37 points, and tomorrow’s visitors are coming off an impressive 0-0 draw against Liverpool. While Newcastle need points to avoid the drop, Everton need three points tomorrow as they aim to fight for the final Europa League spot in the standings. The last meeting between these two teams ended 1-1 and a close affair is expected tomorrow, too.

What to Expect

Newcastle have been stellar at home having won four straight matches at St. James’ Park and they have outscored opponents 9-1 in the process. Everton have been inconsistent over the last few weeks, but they have faced some tough opponents in Wolverhampton, Manchester City, Watford and Liverpool. That being said, Everton might perceive Newcastle to be a more lenient opponent, but underestimating the Magpies would be a grave mistake.

Everton have been heavily dependent on Gylfi Sigurdsson and Richarlison offensively. The attacking duo have scored 21 of Everton’s 39 goals this season, so defenders Jamaal Lascelles and Fabian Schar will likely follow them around all afternoon. Newcastle rely on their top scorer Salomon Rondon for goals, but lately the Magpies have enjoyed the rise of unlikely scorers. In total, 11 different players have scored for Newcastle and this diversity could be the “X” factor tomorrow.

Next. NUFC's relegation rundown for March. dark

Newcastle’s newest and most expensive signing, Miguel Almiron, has been phenomenal as a starter at St. James’ Park and Rafa Benitez will be hoping his top player has a lights out performance tomorrow. Almiron has come close to scoring on multiple occasions and a goal from him tomorrow would be huge for the club.

It is also worth noting that lineup changes are expected for Newcastle. Sean Longstaff has gone down with a season-ending knee injury and this presents Benitez with a dilemma regarding who to start in the middle.