While many people think of the food, drink, presents and the songs when it comes to Christmas – but we personally feel like the football is just as important as the rest of it! Everyone has fond memories of chilling out with the family and watching some of the games over the festive period, and that’ll likely be no different this time around. There are some really interesting games on over the course of the next few weeks and the bizarre nature of the schedule is what we love, with one of the most intriguing encounters being Everton vs Tottenham Hotspur.

This is a game between two of English football’s finest, and there’s no way in which that could ever be an understatement. We’re expecting a pretty lively crowd at this one, with thousands choosing the beautiful game above last minute Christmas shopping. It’s the kind of game that could set the tempo for the next few months for either side, and not just because it’s the featured Sunday game. Although, with that being said, it’ll certainly be interesting to see how they handle the pressure of playing after everyone else.

Everton have had quite an interesting season so far, as their inconsistency speaks for itself. They have the kind of fire power and potential in their squad to do some really big things in the top flight, but they’re in an era where many other teams are in that position too. Qualifying for the Europa League doesn’t seem like it’s an impossible goal for them this season especially when you take a look at the competition, with the likes of Manchester United struggling to find form. Of course, the pressure is on in the eyes of many of their fans to reach that point, and they don’t tend to handle pressure all too well.

On the other hand you’ve got Tottenham Hotspur, who are still considered to be the next big thing in more ways than one. Despite having a series of obstacles put in their way they’ve still managed to make the most of their season (so far). They’re still in the Champions League and they’re only one step away from the League Cup final, which is probably much more than anyone could’ve anticipated after their slight dip in form earlier in the season. Mauricio Pochettino has worked wonders, which is why it isn’t surprising to see him being linked with bigger jobs.

Everton’s last six game stretch began pretty positively all things considered, with a 0-0 draw against Chelsea (which should give you a hint as to how we think this one is going to go). They then managed to narrowly edge out Cardiff with a 1-0 win, before a somewhat disappointing 1-0 defeat at the hands of bitter rivals Liverpool. Back to back draws against Newcastle and Watford helped to steady the ship, and while they put up a fight in their latest game, they still fell to a 3-1 loss against league leaders Manchester City. Then again, most teams have struggled against Pep’s side.

Tottenham’s last six game stretch only began at the start of December, but it was still pretty demoralising. They lost 4-2 against Arsenal in the North London derby, but instead of allowing that to impact them in a major way, they came right back with consecutive wins over Southampton and Leicester City. Then, they drew against a weakened Barcelona side in the Champions League, ensuring their passage into the knockout stages thanks to results elsewhere. They then scored a late winner to overcome Burnley, before gaining a measure of revenge against Arsenal by knocking them out of the Carabao Cup.

As we noted before, Everton vs Tottenham Hotspur is the definition of a historic game in the realms of English football. Spurs lead the overall head to head standings 66-55 with 54 draws to speak of, and their first meeting took place way back in 1904. In their last meeting back in January, Tottenham ran through the Toffees with a dominant 4-0 win – which has kind of been a theme lately. In fact, Everton haven’t beaten Tottenham in their last 11 games, with the last win they picked up in the fixture coming in December 2012. While six years isn’t the longest drought in the world, they’ll certainly be eager to rectify that statistic.

It’s good news for Everton on the team news front with Andre Gomes and Richarlison both being deemed fit enough to feature on some level. They were both struggling with illnesses this week with many wondering whether or not they’d even be able to make it to the game, but it does seem as if they’ll be in the squad after all. Gueye missed out against City courtesy of a groin problem and will face a late fitness test, but aside from that, Everton should have a fully fit squad to choose from – which tends to be a rarity at this level.

Tottenham’s star striker Harry Kane has also suffered from an illness this week, but Spurs fans can breathe a sigh of relief as it appears as if he’s going to make it back in time. Alas, they aren’t quite as fortunate when it comes to other problems around the squad with Dier, Aurier, Dembele, Vertonghen and Wanyama all being ruled out through injury. Davinson Sanchez could appear after returning to full fitness, but either way, it seems as if Pochettino will have to get creative with his team selection for the trip to Merseyside.

Everton vs Tottenham Betting Prediction

Contrary to popular belief, we don’t actually think this is going to be the goalfest that everyone believes it could be. These two sides are one or two losses away from losing a lot of momentum, and with even more games to come during the busy winter period, it feels like they’ll be quite conservative. Tottenham have more natural quality and will probably get more shots off from a statistical point of view, but we’re expecting Everton to also have a few clear cut chances that they’ll look back on in weeks to come and think “damn”.

We genuinely believe it’s going to be a goalless draw, and while that will cause many to moan and groan, it’s not necessarily always the worst thing in the world. It allows both teams to keep a clean sheet, and it’s not like you can’t get an entertaining game out of it. As long as the two teams aren’t afraid to come forward to the point where it looks like they’ve pre-arranged a draw, then we should be in for something fun. Now that we’ve said that, you should all anticipated a ten goal thriller.

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