Wednesday December 13 (19.45 GMT), St James' Park
Sam Allardyce will be looking to continue his decent start to life as Everton manager when he travels to face former club Newcastle on Wednesday evening.
The 63-year-old was sacked in acrimonious circumstances as Magpies manager after a difficult stint in the north east- and indeed lost his job as England coach last year- but having recently returned to the managerial arena, is starting to rehabilitate his career with Everton.
Indeed, two wins and a draw from his opening three matches at the helm- including an unlikely point in Sunday's Merseyside derby- represents tangible progress for a side that had previously appeared to be in free-fall. 10th in the league but eager to show he's the man to lead the Merseysiders forward long-term, Allardyce will be extra keen to pick up another result here against a club that he feels treated him poorly towards the end of his stint on Tyneside.
Allardyce's desire to get one over his ex-team, however, is just one the intriguing plot lines for a fixture that will see the Blues boss lock horns once again with fierce rival Rafael Benitez- himself a former Liverpool manager- and the Spaniard's out-of-form Newcastle outfit attempt to end a torrid run of form that has seen them win just once in 11 games.
Described in the build-up as a 'must-win' game by Magpies winger Christian Atsu, Newcastle know they simply have to quickly stop the rot if they're to avoid being dragged into real danger at the bottom of the Premier League table.
Team news
Rotation could be the order of the day for both Benitez and Allardyce as games come thick and fast over the festive period.
Hosts Newcastle may welcome back captain Jamaal Lascelles and former Everton loanee Christian Atsu as Rafael Benitez looks to turn around their alarming slump in form, while first-choice left-back Paul Dummett could also be in line to return to the starting lineup after making his comeback from injury for the club's Under-23 side last week.
As such, the Magpies have a relatively full squad from which to choose, with the Spaniard's main tactical dilemma whether to persevere with the 4-4-2 system that has solidity in midfield. One potential casualty of any change in shape could be summer signing Joselu, who despite scoring last time out against Leicester City, is still to impress on a consistent basis for his new team.
With Leighton Baines still on the sidelines, and Yannick Bolasie and Ross Barkley several weeks away from returning to first-team action, visitors Everton, meanwhile, will make the trip to the north east with the same group of players that earned a hard-fought 1-1 draw in Sunday's Merseyside derby.
Sam Allardyce has been effusive in his praise of young defenders Jonjoe Kenny and Mason Holgate, and the talented pair look set to keep their places in what has become a settled back four of late. Instead, changes, if they come, are likely to happen further up the field, as the likes of Aaron Lennon and Morgan Schneiderlin push for recalls. Should that be the case, Oumar Niasse and Tom Davies appear to be the two most likely to miss out following underwhelming displays in Sunday's Anfield derby.
Stars in the 3-0 rout of Apollon Limassol last Thursday, wingers Ademola Lookman and Nikola Vlasic will, in all likelihood, be kept on the bench until the game becomes stretched towards the end. Their pace and goal threat, you feel, has the potential to be decisive in what is almost certain to be an extremely tight encounter.
What they said
Rafael Benitez: "I remember when we conceded a late goal against Leeds last season. We work on this & analyse these things. We have to learn it as a team, not be too open, but also not be too defensive either if we are level or winning.
"The reality is that there are a lot of teams around us who have spent a lot of money. We have to stay calm, keep doing the right things & we will start winning again.
"This team is working really hard, the only thing they can do is try to improve. It’s a team without experience and has to learn. Hopefully we can win and be positive and it’s easier to prepare for the next games. We don’t need to think about a run of games. Let’s just concentrate on the next one.
“We don’t play against managers. We have to be sure we beat his [Allardyce's] team."
Sam Allardyce: “[With Benitez] Our past history wasn’t great but the recent history is okay. It was fine when I went to Chelsea and Newcastle. I am amicable with everybody if they're amicable with me. Recently I haven’t had any animosity. It was a good battle at the time.
"The way we played he didn’t like it. If you want to say it’s mind games, it’s mind games. But at that particular time that Liverpool weren’t supposed to lose to Bolton, but people didn’t know how brilliant Bolton were.
“St James' Park is always a test for your players. The test is to nullify Newcastle’s attack because it keeps the crowd quiet. Then you get the opportunity to go and attack their defence. They conceded three goals against Leicester and we will be looking at that.
“I don’t expect it to be any easier than the Liverpool game. If you sit off for a second in the Premier League then teams will punish you- particularly away from home. We have to be at 100 percent. We have to play a difficult tactic. Our plan will be slightly different."
Expected starting lineups
Newcastle: Darlow; Yedlin, Lascelles, Clark, Dummett; Merino, Shelvey, Atsu, Ritchie; Joselu, Gayle
Everton: Pickford; Kenny, Holgate, Williams, Martina; Gueye, Schneiderlin; Lennon, Rooney, Sigurdsson; Calvert-Lewin
Prediction
Two weeks ago, Newcastle would no doubt have targeted Wednesday's fixture against a fragile-looking Everton as a potential three-pointer ahead of the weekend trip to face Arsenal.
With Sam Allardyce now at the helm, though, the Blues are a completely different proposition to the leaky, error-strewn team of the early-season. Sunday's draw against the usually free-scoring Liverpool showcased a new-found resilience in defence that they will hope to roll out over the course of the rest of the season, while in attack, key men Wayne Rooney and Gylfi Sigurdsson are finally starting to hit some form.
Despite conceding just once in three matches, more will be expected of Everton on the front foot if they are to claim three points here- but with Benitez in urgent need of a result, and only West Ham and Crystal Palace having secured fewer points than the visitors on the road this season, a draw looks the most likely scenario for Wednesday's match.
Newcastle 1-1 Everton
