Everton face Luton Town on Friday evening, looking to make it five wins in six matches after securing their Premier League status last weekend.
The 1-0 triumph over Brentford has alleviated any fears of dropping into the Championship as off-the-field issues take centre stage once more.
Just a matter of weeks ago, this game was shaping up to be extremely significant. Now, it’s Rob Edwards’ men who are firmly feeling the heat.
The Hatters sit one point and one place below Nottingham Forest, who are currently on the right side of the dotted line.
A win for the hosts would be huge ahead of Nuno Espirito Santo’s men heading to Sheffield United on Saturday.
Chris Sutton shares thoughts on Luton Town’s Premier League clash against Everton
Chris Sutton has been critical of Everton this season but has heaped praise Sean Dyche in his latest predictions for BBC Sport.
He said: “Everton are safe now, and what a tremendous job Sean Dyche has done there. Dyche says keeping the Toffees up with three games to go is his biggest achievement as a manager, and I can understand why he feels that way after the campaign they have had.
“When you look at Premier League managers who have exceeded expectation this season then, with all the nonsense he has had to put up with off the pitch, he is one of them.
“If not for their points deductions, Everton would have been a mid-table team for most of the campaign and would not have been worried about the drop.”
Despite Everton now safe for another season, Sutton has backed the Blues to pick up another three points on Friday evening.
He added: “Luton, meanwhile, are still in the thick of the relegation scrap, and you could argue this is a decent opportunity for them, given Everton have just made sure of staying up and might take their foot off the gas a bit. Looking at their remaining games, Luton have got to play West Ham (away) and Fulham (home) as well this one.
“They are three fixtures where you feel they have a chance of picking up some points, but, having said that, they are too easy to play against, concede too many goals and might also be low on confidence after losing their past three matches. We don’t know how many points Luton will need to stay up, not helped by the uncertainty over Nottingham Forest’s appeal against their points deduction, but they are going to need at least one win.
“Luton won at Goodison Park earlier in the season, but I don’t see them repeating that result here. The pressure is all on them now, while we should see Everton play with a bit of freedom. Luton Town 1-2 Everton.”
Everton can enjoy themselves between now and the end of the season
For once, Evertonians can now enjoy themselves heading into the latter stages of the season. For the past two years, the Toffees have been fighting for their lives in the dying embers of the campaign.
Of course, Dyche and the players won’t down tools. The Everton boss will view the upcoming fixtures as an extended pre-season, giving opportunities to players who are yet to show their full potential.
Furthermore, there’s a chance for the players to play with a freedom that we haven’t seen for large parts of the season.
The Blues have ground out wins of late, but it would certainly be encouraging to witness some free-flowing and forward-thinking football at Kenilworth Road.
Receive a digest of our best Everton content each week direct to your mailbox
