Date: Saturday, January 11 Venue: Goodison Park Kick-Off: 15:oo
Team News
Leighton Baines is tipped to return following a back injury but Ross Barkley is a doubt, facing a late assessment. Defensive duo Phil Jagielka and Sylvain Distin are both expected to miss out due to hamstring problems. Leroy Fer returns for Norwich after a one-match ban, he's joined by Wes Hoolahan and Bradley Johnson who both return to the squad. The Canaries continue to be without Michael Turner, Jonny Howson, Alex Tettey, Anthony Pilkington and Elliot Bennett.
Key Stats
Everton haven't beaten Norwich in five Premier League clashes but they haven't lost at home to the Canaries since September 1993. The Toffees home form is fantastic, losing just one game at home our of the last 16. They sit five points above their tally and this time last season, with only Arsenal keeping more clean sheets than Roberto Martinez' side this season. Norwich have gone five league games without a win but they are unbeaten in their last three away games. Despite this they picked up just 13 away points in 2013 and have the second worst defensive record in the league behind Fulham. Gary Hooper has scored five goals in his last ten league appearances, almost half of the Canaries total tally in those games.
Everton and Norwich face a completely different test ahead of them between now and May. Everton entered the New Year in a promising position and could push for a place amongst Europes elite next season. Norwich, on the other hand, will be battling not to drop to the second tier of English football. The Canaries face a stern test at Goodison Park, a ground where the only visiting team to pick up a victory in 2013 were Sunderland. Everton battled resiliently to avoid defeat last time out against Stoke thanks to a late-goal, something which has been a regular occurrence with Everton this season- they've picked up the most points in the last ten minutes of games. Norwich struggle to score goals and have managed just 17 in their 20 games this season. Gary Hooper has recovered from his injury troubles but he needs help scoring the goals. The last time Norwich visited Merseyside, in December, Everton's rivals smashed five past the Canaries. The Toffees are unlikely to find themselves in a sticky situation in this game but Norwich have a decent record against the blue half of Merseyside. Prediction 3-0 source - bbc sport
Josh has had work featured in the Evening Gazette and on Newcastle United website. He is a Multimedia Journalism student at Teesside University and runs a successful sports blog. He also enjoys films, comics and TV, writing about anything he can. Josh has recently started writing his first of what he hopes will be many books.
