Newcastle United vs Everton

Newcastle United will put their Premier League top-five hopes on the line when they meet bottom-half Everton at St James’ Park in the last round. 

Beating Everton on the final weekend would guarantee Newcastle United’s second Champions League qualification in three years as they commence Matchday 38 in fourth. However, tied on 66 points with Aston Villa and Chelsea, they cannot afford a slip-up, knowing anything other than victory would put them at others’ mercy. Eddie Howe’s side slumped to a costly 1-0 defeat at Arsenal last weekend, yet they had only lost once in their nine previous league outings (W7, D1), making for good reading ahead of this pivotal clash. Adding to Newcastle’s confidence, they’ve won their final game in eight of the last ten campaigns (D1, L1). Furthermore, St James’ Park has been a fortress, with the Magpies winning six consecutive home league matches via a combined score of 20-5, including a 2-0 win against fellow top-five contenders Chelsea last time out. 

In the meantime, Everton could finish a top-flight season with three successive wins for the first time since 1988/89 after seeing off Fulham and Southampton in the last two rounds. The Toffees will finish 13th regardless of the results on the final day, rendering this fixture a ‘dead rubber.’ A lack of pressure may serve them well here, considering they last beat Newcastle on this ground in December 2019 (D1, L3). That doesn’t bode well for Everton’s quest to defy their nasty habit of finishing top-flight seasons on a sorrowful note. Indeed, David Moyes’ men have won their final league game only once in the past eight campaigns (D1, L6). This match may go either way, given that the visitors have alternated between winning and losing across their last four away league outings (W2, L2).