Everton are heading to Turf Moor on Saturday to face a Burnley side who are already battling the threat of relegation.
So much has changed in just one year of having the Friedkins as the owners at Everton and the fear of relegation has been put well behind them.
David Moyes has helped to instil the stability now on display on Merseyside, with Everton being pushed for a European finish this season.
The reality is that the Blues may well end up finishing somewhere in between the two opposite ends of the table, but that would still mark progress.
Having lost their last two outings against Chelsea and Arsenal, Everton will be desperate to put three points on the board.
Jamie Carragher is convinced Everton will beat Burnley, but Chris Sutton thinks he has spotted a problem leading up to the game in Lancashire.
Chris Sutton shares his Burnley vs Everton prediction
Despite back-to-back defeats, Moyes has been impressed with Everton who pushed both London sides in the respective games.
However, the Toffees must get back to winning ways on Saturday against one of the struggling sides in the Premier League.
Speaking to BBC Sport, Sutton has admitted he has spotted a problem that may prevent the points from returning to Merseyside.
Will Everton bounce back from consecutive defeats with an away win at Burnley? 🤩
Let us know your score predictions with a comment!
“Burnley got a late goal that earned them a point at Bournemouth, which felt big for their boss Scott Parker – it felt like a few Clarets fans were questioning whether he is the man to keep them in the Premier League,” said Sutton.
“As I’ve said before, I’ve always felt like Burnley were being competitive, even when they were losing games.
“This is going to be a close game, too. Everton’s problem is that they are missing Iliman Ndiaye and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, and they might have to settle for a point.”
It is expected that Everton will remain without Dewsbury-Hall for weeks after the midfielder suffered a hamstring injury at Stamford Bridge.
But this will offer plenty of other players an opportunity to prove their worth to Moyes and they simply must take that chance if provided to them.
Moyes must trust Tyler Dibling against Burnley
It is clear that Everton are going into the game on Saturday without their full strength squad, but Moyes can use this as an opportunity to assess his options ahead of January.
Moyes chose Dwight McNeil over Tyler Dibling for the game against Arsenal last weekend.
Who should be starting vs Burnley… Dibling or McNeil? 🙄
A decision which certainly confused a large chunk of the fanbase.
Since arriving, Dibling has barely featured for Moyes in an Everton shirt despite the Toffees spending big-money of the 19-year-old.
James Tarkowski has praised Dibling’s work rate in training, but that is simply not translating into the trust of his 62-year-old manager.
If Dibling cannot get a start against Burnley without Iliman Ndiaye and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in the squad, then he will surely start to question his move to Merseyside.
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