Everton head to Kenilworth Road this evening to face Luton Town in what is a massive game for the Bedfordshire club.
Rob Edwards’ side are currently one point adrift of Nottingham Forest, who are still on the right side of the dotted line.
Three points against Sean Dyche’s men would pull the Hatters out of the bottom three until Saturday afternoon at the very least, with Forest heading to rock-bottom Sheffield United.
For Everton, this is a fixture that could’ve had a lot more riding on it. However, four wins in five, including four clean sheets, have propelled the Blues to Premier League safety.
Nevertheless, there’s no doubt Dyche and the players will be eager to continue their impressive recent form into the summer and beyond.
What has Paul Merson said about Everton’s trip to Luton Town this evening?
Ahead of the Kenilworth Road clash, Merson has shared his thoughts and offered a surprise prediction.
He told Sportkeeda: “This is one of the biggest games of the season and could turn out to be a pivotal week at the back end of the Premier League table. If Luton win this and Nottingham Forest fail to beat Sheffield United, you have to give Luton a chance of staying up! There’s no margin for error for the home side – they absolutely have to win this one.
“Everton have won their last three Premier League games without conceding after losing 6-0 to Chelsea, but they could take their foot off the gas now that they’re safe! Elijah Adebayo is back for Luton and I’m backing them to win despite the odds being stacked against them. Luton Town 2-1 Everton.”
Everton could be punished with a sub-par performance this evening
These types of games can go one of two ways. Everton are now safe, and that could lead to performance levels naturally dipping, although the management team will be desperate for the recent form to be maintained.
With so much riding on the game for Luton, there’s every chance of the hosts getting the job done purely because of what’s at stake. We’ve seen teams ‘on the beach’ before, and that cannot be ruled out from an Everton perspective
The other scenario is that the Toffees can now play with complete freedom and take risks that they wouldn’t have in recent weeks, which could lead to the away side posing a significant threat in transition and in open play. Furthermore, the pressure Luton are under could also work in Everton’s favour this evening.
Another three points and a fifth win in six would send travelling Evertonians home in an optimistic mood.
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