Sunday’s 3pm kick off at Goodison Park pits together two sides with Champions League place aspirations in what promises to be a tight affair.
Moyes will feel blessed that he’s welcoming a Tottenham team without Gareth Bale, especially given that Tony Hibbert may not be the most pace adept right back out there. Nevertheless, Defoe and co will be confident of knocking one or two past an Everton defence which have failed to keep a clean sheet in the last 10 Premier League games.
Since the return of Moussa Dembele, Spurs have won three matches in a row and looked like a whole new side. The Belgium’s energy and drive will be key to the visitor’s game today when they try and unlock the Everton back four. Everton tend to try to set a slow tone, so if Dembele can galvanize the likes of Defoe, Dempsey and Lennon to keep the pace of the game high, Spurs can do some real damage.
Another defining moment could be the power of Jelavic and Fellaini – particularly if William Gallas is given the nod. Michael Dawson is expected to miss the game through a hamstring injury and AVB may bring in Gallas to restore some experience in an otherwise young backline. The Frenchman has had problems with big forwards in the past and Moyes will look to capitalise on that.
Interestingly, in spite of stark inconsistency this season, Spurs would be top of the Premier League if all games finished after 80 minutes. The statistic shows they find it difficult to motivate themselves in the final stretch of the game, and the fact that they have won every Premier League game Dembele has played suggests they have missed an influential figure to rouse them on when he is out. Not surprising considering Scott Parker and Younes Kaboul have yet to feature this season.
Expect it to be a tight affair and closely fought with a couple of goals leaked by both sides.