Everton welcome Fulham to Goodison Park on Sunday evening looking to remain in contention for a place in the top six of the Premier League table.
While the Toffees are attempting to qualify for Europe, the visitors are eight points adrift of safety after going 12 league matches without a win.
Match preview
© Reuters
Carlo Ancelotti will not want Everton to develop a habit of conceding seven goals in two matches, particularly against rivals such as Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.
Nevertheless, the Italian can only be left encouraged by the two comeback results which have kept the club in contention for the Champions League and secured further progress in the FA Cup.
If the Toffees are able to win their games in hand in the Premier League, they will move three points clear of neighbours Liverpool in the standings, a scenario deemed unthinkable a matter of months ago.
With just eight points coming from six top-flight fixtures, Ancelotti will have more concerns about consistency than complacency during the closing months of the campaign.
That said, his players have shown on frequent occasions this season that they have the tools to trouble any club in the division, keeping the pressure on teams who will feel that they can ill-afford to miss out on European qualification.
Everton prevailed by a 3-2 scoreline in the reverse fixture on November 22, the result acting as the catalyst for Fulham to make improvements in defence.
However, despite eight draws and four clean sheets being recorded since that game, Scott Parker knows that only victories will give the Cottagers a chance of avoiding relegation.
There were positives to take from earning a share of the spoils against West Ham United last weekend, even if Fulham have now failed to win any of their last eight home matches.
With Parker's side registering four draws in succession on the road, they can at least head into this encounter in the knowledge that they are capable of producing performances on their travels.
Goals remain an issue with just four strikes coming in seven league games since the beginning of the year.
Everton Premier League form: LWDLWD
Everton form (all competitions): WDLWDW
Fulham Premier League form: LLDDLD
Fulham form (all competitions): LLDDLD
Team News
© Reuters
Parker could hand a first Fulham start to Josh Maja, who has joined from Bordeaux.
Providing that Parker sticks with a back four, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa could take the place of Mario Lemina in midfield.
Ancelotti will be reluctant to take any risks on Dominic Calvert-Lewin after he sustained a hamstring issue in midweek.
Lucas Digne and James Rodriguez are both doubts for this contest, which could lead to Mason Holgate and Josh King being drafted into the Everton XI.
Everton possible starting lineup:
Olsen; Coleman, Holgate, Keane, Godfrey; Doucoure, Davies; Iwobi, Sigurdsson, King; Richarlison
Fulham possible starting lineup:
Areola; Tete, Andersen, Adarabioyo, Robinson; Reed, Zambo-Anguissa; Decordova-Reid, Loftus-Cheek, Lookman; Maja
We say: Everton 2-0 Fulham
On occasions this season, Fulham have not got the reward for their encouraging performances. However, we do not expect the Cottagers to trouble an in-form Everton at the weekend, leading us to predict a win and clean sheet for the home team.
Top betting tip
Video prediction
Watch the Sports Mole Football Shorts prediction for this game below:
Darren Plant
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Everton win with a probability of 38.69%. A win for Fulham had a probability of 34.53% and a draw had a probability of 26.8%.
The most likely scoreline for a Everton win was 1-0 with a probability of 10.41%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.33%) and 2-0 (6.82%). The likeliest Fulham win was 0-1 (9.72%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.72%). The actual scoreline of 0-2 was predicted with a 5.9% likelihood.
