After participating in Premier League thrillers last time out, Everton welcome Burnley to Hill Dickinson Stadium for Tuesday’s showdown, looking to bolster their European ambitions.
Burnley are in a relegation scrap and will be keen to claim a crucial scalp against the Toffees, particularly after being denied one of the all-time Premier League comebacks last time out.
Match Preview
Everton are coming into this midweek clash on the back of a dramatic 3-2 win over Newcastle United at St. James’ Park.
The Toffees broke the deadlock through Jarrad Branthwaite inside the opening 20 minutes.
Jacob Ramsey pulled the Magpies back into the game shortly after the half-hour mark, but Beto only needed two minutes to restore Everton’s lead.
Jacob Murphy then dragged Newcastle back level with a well-taken volley.
However, it only took a minute for Everton to pounce on a costly error from Anthony Gordon, allowing Thierno Barry bundle home a priceless win for David Moyes’s side.
Barry’s goal sealed a crucial three points for Everton as they responded to back-to-back defeats in dramatic fashion.
The Toffees are now within touching distance of the European places, with just five points keeping them out of the top six.
Moyes will demand more of the same when his side host Burnley on Tuesday, with the Toffees keen to take another huge step toward European qualification.
However, Burnley will be keen to exploit Everton’s awful home form as the Toffees have managed just four wins from 14 games at Hill Dickinson Stadium (D4, L6).
As engrossing as the action was in Tyneside, it paled in comparison to the extraordinary contest that unfolded at Turf Moor, when Burnley hosted Brentford.
Scott Parker watched his side fall 3-0 behind inside the opening 35 minutes after a nightmare start that left the home crowd stunned into silence.
However, his side refused to throw in the towel and clawed their way back to 3-3 in the opening 15 minutes of the second half.
The Clarets thought they had completed one of the most astonishing comebacks in Premier League history when Zian Flemming scored to give them a 4-3 lead in the 81st minute.
However, that elation soon turned to despair as the goal was cruelly chalked off for offside by VAR.
Brentford pounced on that reprieve and restored their lead in stoppage time through Mikkel Damsgaard.
Burnley thought they had rescued it once more when the ball fell kindly for Ashley Barnes, who rifled home an equaliser.
But for a second time in the final minutes, Burnley were undone by VAR as Barnes’ last-gasp equaliser was ruled out for a handball.
Parker couldn’t question the effort from his players after the final whistle, but will be keen to see them carry that fight into Tuesday’s action at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Burnley remain rooted to 19th place in the table, eight points behind 16th-placed Nottingham Forest.
With ten games remaining, pulling off a great escape isn’t entirely impossible. But the Clarets need to shore up their leaky backline to improve their chances.
They have the worst defensive record in the Premier League (56 goals conceded). They’ve also conceded at least twice in six of their last seven matches, and they are still waiting for a first away clean sheet.
Team News
Everton came through the previous round unscathed, although Moyes made it clear that Jack Grealish, Carlos Alcaraz, and Seamus Coleman are still sidelined.
Burnley also came through their gut-wrenching defeat to Brentford with no new fitness concerns.
However, Josh Cullen, Connor Roberts, Zeki Amdouni, Axel Tuanzebe, Armando Broja, Jordan Beyer, and Mike Tresor are still out of contention, while Marcus Edwards is a doubt.
Everton potential starting line-up:
(4-2-3-1): Jordan Pickford; Jake O’Brien, James Tarkowski, Jarrad Branthwaite, Vitaly Mykolenko; James Garner, Idrissa Gueye; Dwight McNeil, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Iliman Ndiaye; Thierno Barry
Burnley potential starting line-up:
(4-2-3-1): Martin Dubravka; Bashir Humphreys, Joe Worrall, Maxime Esteve, Lucas Pires; Lesley Ugochukwu, James Ward-Prowse; Hannibal Mejbri, Lyle Foster, Jaidon Anthony; Zian Flemming