Premier League preview: Everton v Newcastle

Everton will look to continue their sensational form on home soil when they take on Newcastle in the English Premier League on Monday.

David Moyes’ men have won their past six games at Goodison Park, scoring 19 times and conceding just once and tellingly, have started the season well with two wins in three matches.

The Merseyside club have traditionally started poorly, slumping into the bottom five in the first half of the season in each of their past four campaigns before going on to secure top-10 finishes.

A defining 1-0 win over Manchester United in the opening round of fixtures could change all that, with Everton already in the top six with winnable games against Newcastle, Swansea and Southampton to come.

Newcastle and Everton have been hard to split in their past four meetings with Moyes’ men winning the most recent fixture 3-1 at Goodison Park on the last weekend of last season.

Newcastle were 2-1 victors at St James’ Park earlier in the season while both secured an away win each the season before.

Alan Pardew’s side surprised everyone last season with a fifth-place finish but after a quiet transfer period and a mounting injury list, are placed more modestly in 10th with a win, draw and loss from three games.

Newcastle’s foray into European competition would appear to have sapped the energy from an under-strength squad with back-to-back lacklustre performances against Chelsea and Aston Villa after an opening win over Tottenham.

“We have done OK. We have had a decent start and I’m looking forward to the Everton game,” Pardew said.

“The international break does not help any of the squads or the managers to build any continuity.

“I look at all the teams and there is the odd game where you play well, but no-one has really hit top form.”

Goalkeeper Tim Krul, defenders Fabricio Coloccini, Danny Simpson and Ryan Taylor as well as Cheick Tiote and Shola Ameobi are all sidelined and racing the clock to fit for the Everton match.

Krul is the major concern, with the Dutch shot-stopper nursing an injured elbow he hurt on international duty.

For Everton, midfielders Steven Pienaar (hip/thigh) and Darron Gibson (groin) missed international duty but should be ready to go after treatment during the week off.