Following their midweek Champions League heroics, Tottenham Hotspur play host to Everton on Sunday in the season finale of the 2018/19 Premier League.
For the home team, a top four finish is essentially guaranteed, barring disaster on the last day. Therefore we are unlikely to see Mauricio Pochettino risk any key players who are struggling with injuries and knocks.
Champions League finalists! Unbelievable character shown from the boys last night, we never gave up! Thank you to all the travelling fans and the support back home, couldn’t have made it this far without you. 🙏🏽💙 #COYS pic.twitter.com/U0yMzUHQaA
— Dele (@dele_official) May 9, 2019
As for the Toffees, they will want a result which helps them cling on to eighth place, but more importantly, they will want a result which continues the momentum they have built in the latter part of the season.
The final day of the Premier League has been known to throw up some crazy results in the past, and this could be the case in north London on Sunday in a game where both teams will go out with nothing to lose.
Check out 90min's preview of the game below.
Where to Watch
| When Is Kick Off? | Sunday 12th May |
| What Time Is Kick Off? | 15:00 BST |
| Where Is it Being Played? | Tottenham Hotspur Stadium |
| TV Channel/Live Stream? | N/A |
| Referee? | Andre Marriner |
Team News
Juan Foyth was dismissed last time out against Bournemouth and as such will be suspended for this game. Son Heung-min also picked up a red card in the fiery fixture on the south coast, although this has been appealed and is currently under inspection from the FA.
To add to Spurs' growing list of injuries, Jan Vertonghen was seen in a protective boot following his side's incredible victory over Ajax, though it is thought not to be too serious. However, with the Champions League final coming up, you'd think Pochettino would be crazy to risk anyone who isn't at 100%.
Richarlison is carrying a minor rib injury and will have his fitness monitored closely ahead of Sunday. With the Copa America coming up this summer in the Brazilian's home country, Silva may opt to give his forward man a rest and give an opportunity to a younger player, such as Ademola Lookman.
Elsewhere, Yerry Mina has returned to training from a hamstring injury, but the Colombian finds himself in the same boat as Richarlison, whereby he will not want to miss the tournament in South America this summer. With loyal club servant Phil Jagielka expected to leave Goodison Park at the end of this season, the Toffees boss may choose to give his defender one last outing.
Predicted Lineups
| Tottenham Hotspur | Lloris; Walker-Pieters, Alderweireld, Davies, Rose; Wanyama, Dier, Lamela, Eriksen; Llorente, Moura. |
| Everton | Pickford; Coleman, Jagielka, Keane, Digne; Schneiderlin, Gueye, Walcott, Sigurdsson, Lookman; Calvert-Lewin. |
Head to Head Record
The reverse fixture at Goodison Park this season left Everton fans calling for their manager's head after Spurs embarrassed the home side in a 6-2 victory. The Toffees' record against the north Londoners has been dismal in recent years, with their last victory in the fixture coming in December 2012.
The past three meetings have seen Spurs win by a goal margin of three or more. The two sides match up more evenly over history however, with Everton winning 55 and drawing 54 out of their 176 meetings.
Recent Form
Not that Spurs fans will care too much anymore; but European exploits aside, they have lost three of their last four in the Premier League. This torrid run has taken their loss tally for the season to 13, which far exceeds that of any other team in the top six.
However, thanks to the similarly poor form of teams around them, Tottenham find themselves three points clear of Arsenal in fifth and with a goal difference advantage of eight goals.
Everton, on the other hand, have been much improved in the home straight of this season. With six clean sheets out of their last seven games, it would take a miracle for this fixture to provide a repeat of the score at the Goodison in December. Following a largely inconsistent season, the Toffees have now found a formula that works for them as their campaign draws to a close.
Here's how the two sides have fared in their previous five fixtures:
| Tottenham Hotspur | Everton |
| Ajax 2-3 Spurs (08/05) | Everton 2-0 Burnley (03/05) |
| Bournemouth 1-0 Spurs (04/05) | Crystal Palace 0-0 Everton (27/04) |
| Spurs 0-1 Ajax (30/04) | Everton 4-0 Man Utd (21/04) |
| Spurs 0-1 West Ham (27/04) | Fulham 2-0 Everton (13/04) |
| Spurs 1-0 Brighton (23/04) | Everton 1-0 Arsenal (06/04) |
Prediction
Tottenham will want to carry the positivity from their miraculous comeback in Amsterdam into their home tie with Everton to try to build some momentum ahead of their European Cup final. But in all honesty, the game may turn into more of an exhibition with the home crowd wanting to give their players a good send off before reconvening in Madrid for the final in two weeks' time.
Marco Silva will be trying to take advantage of such an atmosphere, should it arise. Although their league position won't mean too much come the end of this game, the Toffees will want to carry some momentum into a busy summer.
Tottenham's league form has been poor, and their players will be wanting to avoid injury for their cup final. Couple that with Everton's brilliant recent form and it's easy to see an away win for this one.
Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur 0-2 Everton
Source : 90min