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Everton will face Fulham at Goodison Park on Saturday in what may be a crucial game for their survival hopes in the Premier League. The Toffees come into the fixture after suffering a 2-0 defeat against Manchester United at Old Trafford, extending their poor away record in the league. Abdoulaye Doucoure’s absence during the match was evident, as the Everton midfield struggled to maintain intensity and energy in the middle of the park. However, Everton’s home record under manager Sean Dyche has been impressive, with four wins out of five at Goodison Park, including against top-half teams.
A win against Fulham on Saturday would give Everton a psychological edge, as they play earlier than many of the sides fighting relegation with them. But the pressure is on the Toffees, as West Ham United, Bournemouth, Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Crystal Palace all won in the Premier League last weekend. Everton fell to 17th in the league, outside the bottom three only by goal difference ahead of Nottingham Forest.
Fulham has had an equally disappointing season, falling off massively after giving themselves a chance of qualifying for Europe. They are currently on a five-match losing streak in all competitions, with defeats to Bournemouth and West Ham since the international break causing real concern. Marco Silva’s men are now seven points adrift of the top seven, and coming to Goodison Park may not be ideal for them.
Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin has started training on grass again after missing the last nine matches and could be involved in the squad. Doucoure remains suspended, meaning one of James Garner or Tom Davies could come in to play alongside Amadou Onana and Idrissa Gueye in midfield. Aleksandar Mitrovic will continue serving his eight-match ban for Fulham, with Carlos Vinicius expected to deputise again up front.
Despite their good home record against Fulham, Everton sits on a dismal run of results against newly-promoted sides, not winning any of their last nine. Fulham is also on a worrying run and is usually poor travellers to Merseyside. Nevertheless, they have players capable of causing trouble for Everton, even without Mitrovic.
In conclusion, it remains to be seen which team will emerge victorious in the game. Everton will hope to take advantage of their home form, but Fulham will try to turn around their poor form and cause an upset at Goodison Park.
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