Everton v Newcastle preview

Toon circus rolls into Goodison Park

By Rob Parrish   Last updated: 5th October 2008

Everton v Newcastle preview

Kinnear: A bit tense

PREDICTIONS:

Skysports.com prediction: Everton 2 Newcastle 0

SKY BET odds: Everton 8/11, Draw 5/2, Newcastle 4/1

One to watch: Danny Guthrie

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Two managers under increasing pressure go head-to-head at Goodison Park as Everton tackle Newcastle, live on Sky Sports 1 and HD1.

Joe Kinnear may have been in interim charge at Newcastle for just a week, but his expletive-laden rant at sections of the press on Thursday has created even more bad publicity for the troubled club.

Toffees counterpart David Moyes is yet to dip into the big boys' book of bad words in public, but is sure to be seething behind the scenes

Everton crashed out of the Uefa Cup to Standard Liege on Thursday night, are yet to win at home in the Premier League and Moyes is still to put pen-to-paper on a new contract which has been under discussion for some time.

Kinnear's already dark mood is unlikely to be improved if the Magpies slip to a sixth successive defeat on Sunday, which would leave them bottom of the table should Tottenham triumph against Hull.

And the murmurs of discontent on Merseyside will increase markedly should Everton fail to break their home duck at the fourth time of asking, with Sky Bet offering odds of 5/4 that Moyes will not see out the season at the helm.

Team news

The home side will be without influential Australia international Tim Cahill as he serves the first of a three-game ban following his red card in the derby defeat by Liverpool.

Cahill was dismissed by referee Mike Riley for a challenge on Xabi Alonso, with a subsequent appeal from the Toffees rejected by the FA.

Steven Pienaar made his first appearance of the season from the bench against Liege and could be brought into the starting XI after recovering from a broken toe.

Kinnear will be watching from the stands again as he sees out the final game of his touchline ban which was carried over from his previous post at Nottingham Forest.

Midfielder Danny Guthrie is available again after serving his three-match suspension for the challenge which left Hull's Craig Fagan with a broken leg.

Defensive duo Jose Enrique and Habib Beye are making good progress from their respective hamstring and Achilles injuries and could be involved.

Jonas Gutierrez will not be fit until after the international break as he continues his recovery from a fractured collarbone sustained while playing for Argentina.

Obafemi Martins (knee), Mark Viduka (Achilles), Alan Smith (stress fracture) and Joey Barton (suspension) remain out of the reckoning.

Possible starting XIs

Everton: Howard, Hibbert, Jagielka, Lescott, Baines, Neville, Osman, Arteta, Pienaar, Yakubu, Saha.

Newcastle: Given, Enrique, Taylor, Coloccini, N'Zogbia, Geremi, Butt, Guthrie, Duff, Xisco, Owen.