Ahead of Monday’s relegation six-pointer, Leicester are one point above Everton in 18th; Foxes are one point adrift from safety with five games left; Everton battling to extend 69-year stay in top-flight; Watch Leicester vs Everton live on Sky Sports on MNF from 7pm; kick-off 8pm
Monday 1 May 2023 19:20, UK
Everton manager Sean Dyche stressed his players have to handle the high stakes which come with playing for the club, while Leicester boss Dean Smith has urged his side to make home advantage count ahead of the huge Monday Night Football clash between the two sides.
A 4-1 defeat at home to Newcastle means Everton head into Monday’s relegation six-pointer at Leicester, one point above the Foxes in 18th and having to win if they are to stand a chance of extending their 69-year stay in the top flight.
It is a huge occasion which is likely to have a massive bearing on the futures of both clubs, and having seen his side crumble in the second half at home to the high-flying Magpies Dyche wants his players to understand just what the implications are.
“The stakes have been high since I got here,” said the Toffees boss, without a win in 10 matches.
“The stakes should be high, by the way. A club like Everton, the stakes should be high. That’s what the players need to remember. They need to be high at this football club.
“If we go down there, take on the game and win, then it creates a different atmosphere and the belief floods back in very quickly. It’s strange how quickly it can turn around.
“The key point is you making it happen, I can’t emphasise that enough. I say it to the players constantly – you make things happen in football.
“Now and again you get a lucky one but even that doesn’t really build belief. The ones that build belief are when you take it on, then deliver and get a result.”
Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest's 3-1 win over Brighton on Wednesday put Leicester in the drop zone, with Everton a point and a place behind.
Leicester are now one point adrift of safety with five games left to play.
Leicester boss Smith said: "It's a big game for both teams with the positions we're both in and with games running out. This time we will have home advantage and we want to use it to the best advantage we can.
"There's still no target of points. Forest won the other night, we can't get involved in that, we have to concentrate on the games we've got to play.
"You can't take the pressure fully off them (the players). They watch football, see the games, see the table, they know.
"What we can do is make it clear with our plan what we're trying to do. If you can do that they will go in pretty calm and relaxed but having that fire to win games."
Kelechi Iheanacho faces a race to be fit for Leicester's survival run-in.
The striker injured his groin in Tuesday's 1-1 draw at Leeds and could miss the final five games.
Iheanacho has scored twice in Dean Smith's opening three matches and suffered the injury helping to set up Jamie Vardy's leveller at Elland Road.
There is a hope he will recover in time to play a part to beat the drop.
Smith said: "He's not great, he's got a tear in his adductor muscle. It's significant enough. I'm not going to rule him out for the rest of the season but it will be tough to get him back. Hopefully we can.
"He's disappointed, scored two goals and was putting in good performances. Like always, it gives opportunities for others.
"It's a blow, he came on at half-time against Man City and did ever so well. He did well in the Wolves game, scored the penalty, and his all-round displays have been really good."
Jonny Evans should return to training on Saturday but Ricardo Pereira remains out with a hamstring injury.
Everton are winless in their last 12 Premier League away games (D5 L7), failing to score on nine separate occasions in that run. Since beating Brighton 2-0 in August 2021, they've won just two of their last 33 away league games (D10 L21), with all three of their clean sheets in that run coming in 0-0 draws.
The Toffees have lost four of their last five Premier League away games played on Mondays (D1), failing to score on four occasions in that run.
However, Everton have won their last two Premier League away games against Leicester - they've never won three consecutive visits to the Foxes in their league history.
Following their 2-0 win at Goodison Park in November, Leicester are looking to complete the Premier League double over Everton for just the second time, previously doing so in their 2015-16 title winning campaign.
Leicester came from behind to beat Wolves in their last Premier League home game, last winning consecutive league matches at the King Power Stadium in May last season.
The Foxes have conceded in each of their last 18 Premier League games, their joint-longest run without a clean sheet in the competition. They last had a longer run without a league shutout between April and December 1994, a run of 21 which included their first 18 Premier League matches.
The markets don't tend to factor state of play when pricing up goal expectancy in a game which is a huge advantage to punters who spot an angle. So-called 'six-pointers' where relegation is concerned are assumed to be cagey, low-scoring affairs, especially ones involving Everton, whose matches are averaging around 2.2 goals per 90 minutes this season.
However, since the start of March, the 14 matches to involve two teams with genuine relegation worries have seen an average of 3.2 goals scored per game with scorelines like 0-4, 1-5 and 2-4 popping up. Even Leicester's clash with Leeds in midweek should have flown across the over 2.5 goal line with the expected goals data showing a return of 3.8, and that wasn't including two disallowed goals.
Everton can't just sit and block deliveries anymore. They will have to play at a high tempo to try and cause a rickety Leicester defence trouble. Against what the market is expecting, it could lead to a goal-heavy game with the Evens with Sky Bet on over 2.5 goals a great starting point and the over 3.5 goal line worth a look at 5/2.
Watch the free match highlights here...
May 1: Everton (H) - Premier League, kick-off 8pm, live on Sky Sports
May 8: Fulham (A) - Premier League, kick-off 3pm
May 13: Liverpool (H) - Premier League, kick-off 3pm
May 22: Newcastle (A) - Premier League, kick-off 8pm
May 28: West Ham (H) - Premier League, kick-off 4.30pm
May 1: Leicester (A) - Premier League, kick-off 8pm, live on Sky Sports
May 8: Brighton (A) - Premier League, kick-off 5.30pm
May 13: Man City (H) - Premier League, kick-off 3pm
May 20: Wolves (A) - Premier League, kick-off 3pm
May 28: Bournemouth (H) - Premier League, kick-off 4.30pm
Watch Leicester vs Everton live on Sky Sports on Monday Night Football from 7pm; kick-off 8pm.
