- Everton and Brentford both sit on 46 points, three points off European places.
- Reverse fixture in January ended in a 4-2 defeat for Everton at Hill Dickinson.
- Toffees’ good away form suggests that they can dig out a decent result.
Everton return to Premier League action on Saturday with a trip to Brentford. The two sides are level on 46 points, separated only by goal difference, with the Bees in seventh and the Toffees eighth.
A win for David Moyes’ side would be a significant step towards securing European football for next season.
The Blues signed off for the final international break with a stunning 3-0 thrashing of Chelsea at Hill Dickinson Stadium. They have won three of their last four Premier League outings and will be full of confidence heading to the Gtech Community Stadium.
Moyes: ‘We don’t get many chances’
David Moyes has made it clear that Everton will go full throttle for their remaining seven games. Speaking ahead of the Brentford clash, the manager laid out his approach.
“It’s seven games to go to see if we can cling on to a position in Europe,” Moyes said. “I’d say if we can get a position in the top 10 we’d see it as a really good season, not near the bottom of the table fighting relegation. But I think we’re here now, I don’t want to step away because you don’t get many chances. So I think every game we have to see if we can get points and see if we can give ourselves a chance of getting into one of the European competitions.”
Everton have a massive chance of finishing in the top five, which has been confirmed as enough for Champions League football next season following Arsenal’s progress in Europe. But Moyes is focused only on the next game.
Key players and team news
The reverse fixture in January ended in a 4-2 defeat for Everton at Goodison Park, ending a six-game winless run for Brentford against the Toffees. But Everton’s away form since Moyes returned to the club has been outstanding.
Only Arsenal (48) have picked up more points on the road than Everton (41) since the Scot’s reappointment last January. The Toffees are also unbeaten in their last three Premier League visits to Brentford.
Jordan Pickford will be key. The England goalkeeper has prevented more goals than any other shot-stopper in the Premier League this season. Since the start of 2022-23, he has prevented 24.1 goals, nine more than any other goalkeeper. The goalkeeper recently completed his 100 cleansheets for Everton in the 3-0 win over Chelsea.
Everton hope to have Iliman Ndiaye available after he pulled out of the Senegal squad with a foot injury, though he was seen in open training this week. Jack Grealish remains sidelined for the season, while Charly Alcaraz is also expected to miss out. Jarrad Branthwaite is a contender to return to the starting XI, and Beto is likely to lead the line after his brace against Chelsea.
Brentford, meanwhile, have drawn each of their last three league games for the first time since April 2024. They have failed to score in three of their last five outings, and head coach Keith Andrews admitted it will require a “mammoth effort” to keep their European hopes alive.
Everton Predicted XI:
Team: Pickford, O’Brien, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko, Garner, Gueye; McNeil, Dewsbury-Hall, Ndiaye, Beto
With both teams level on points and only seven games remaining, this is a massive fixture. Everton’s away record suggests they can grind out a result. A win would put them in the driving seat for European qualification. Moyes has made it clear his side will not let the opportunity slip.
