Tottenham Hotspur vs Everton: Prediction, Team News & Possible Lineups

Tottenham head into Saturday's North London date with Everton still searching for their first win, and their first goal, of the season. The Toffees, on the other hand, arrive unbeaten and full of confidence after David Moyes got another point out of a game they probably had no business drawing. This one has the makings of an awkward evening for the hosts.

When is Tottenham vs Everton?

Tottenham Hotspur host Everton in the Premier League on Saturday at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Kick-off is at 5.30pm.

How Everton Have Started

Moyes's side have not lost a game yet this season, in the league or anywhere else, and that is not nothing given how their summer went. They needed a stoppage-time leveller from James Tarkowski just to leave Bournemouth with a point, and last weekend they were staring down a defeat to Manchester United before a stunning 25-yard strike from deadline-day arrival Ainsley Maitland-Niles rescued a 2-2 draw.

It has not all been smooth. Everton missed out on the new striker they wanted right at the end of the window, and there have been loud calls for chief executive Angus Kinnear to go after a summer that a lot of fans feel went badly wrong. Still, unbeaten is unbeaten, and that will count for something walking into a ground where Spurs have barely won all year.

Tottenham's Rough Start

Things have been grim at the other end. Spurs opened the campaign with a hammering at Brentford, followed that up with a home defeat to Newcastle, and only just found their first point last time out in a goalless draw with Nottingham Forest. The bigger worry, though, is that they still have not scored a Premier League goal this season, leaving them alongside Aston Villa and Coventry City as the only sides yet to get off the mark.

If Spurs fail to find the net again on Saturday, they will go four straight league games without a goal for the first time in the club's history, in any era. It has happened once before in the Premier League, back in 2006-07, and rather fittingly that barren run included a home defeat to Everton.

The History Isn't Kind to Spurs Either

Here's where it gets interesting for the home fans. Tottenham's only win, and only clean sheet, in their last twelve league games at this stadium came against Everton. So while the visitors have been poor on the road against Spurs for years, they are also the one side who has actually managed to get something out of a trip to this ground recently, even if it was a while back now.

Everton have lost five Premier League away games in a row against Tottenham, and after being beaten home and away last season by an aggregate score of 4-0, another defeat here without scoring would put them three straight losses against Spurs without a goal, something that has never happened to the club before.

Head-to-Head and Key Numbers

• Everton's 1-0 defeat at Tottenham on the final day of last season kept Spurs up and sent shockwaves through Goodison Park.
• Tottenham are one of only three Premier League clubs yet to score this season, alongside Aston Villa and Coventry City.
• Everton are winless in their last six league away games, saved more than once by a late goal.
• Spurs have won just once in their last twelve home league matches, and that win came against Saturday's opponents.

Squad and Team News

Nothing has been confirmed as a major fresh concern for either side, though Spurs will be keen to freshen things up in attack after three games without a goal from open play. Everton go into the game with confidence high after Maitland-Niles's impact off the bench last weekend, and he should be pushing for more minutes here.

Possible Lineups

Tottenham: Vicario in goal, with a back line built around Van de Ven and Romero, full backs pushing on either side, Bissouma and Bentancur screening in midfield, and the attacking players tasked with finally finding a way through Everton's back line up top.

Everton: Pickford starts behind a defence marshalled by Tarkowski and Keane, with Moyes's usual midfield block set up to frustrate and hit on the counter, and Maitland-Niles pushing for a starting role after his weekend heroics.

Tactical Verdict

Everton come into this with the momentum and the recent record on the road at this particular ground, which is a strange thing to say about a team that has struggled away from home all year. But Tottenham's goal drought is the story here, and until they find a way to actually put the ball in the net, nervous energy is going to hang over every home game. Expect Spurs to have plenty of the ball and create enough half chances to finally break the duck, but do not be shocked if Everton nick something on the counter the way they have all season. A tight, low-scoring afternoon feels likely.

Prediction

Tottenham 1-1 Everton: Tottenham should have enough possession to finally break their duck in front of home fans desperate to see a goal. However, this fixture has a habit of going against the run of play, and Everton’s recent record against Spurs is hard to ignore. Expect a nervy, scrappy encounter, with Tottenham finally finding the net but Everton’s resilience earning them a point and keeping them unbeaten in this fixture.