After a full round of midweek Premier League action, attention turns to the weekend and the start of matchday 23 with five matches taking place on the Saturday coupon.
The televised 12.30pm clash features two teams at opposite ends of the table as fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, who are aiming to stay in touch with league leaders Liverpool, visit relegation-threatened Everton at Goodison Park.
There are three 3pm matches for punters to get stuck into, including the M23 derby between Brighton and Crystal Palace, while the Saturday action is rounded off at Bramall Lane where Sheffield United will be desperate to claim three points at the expense of Aston Villa.
Recommended fourfold: Tottenham to win, under 2.5 goals in Brighton v Crystal Palace, both teams to score in Newcastle v Luton and both teams to score in Sheffield United v Aston Villa
- Tottenham to beat Everton
- Under 2.5 goals in Brighton v Crystal Palace
- Both teams to score in Newcastle v Luton
- Both teams to score in Sheffield United v Aston Villa
Everton vs Tottenham
Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham enjoyed a typically entertaining 3-2 home win over Brentford on Wednesday evening and it could pay to take Spurs to achieve a quickfire double at the expense of Everton.
After their November wobble which was not helped by an injury crisis, Spurs are back on the right track in the Premier League, winning five of their last seven matches to sit eight points behind Liverpool with both teams having played 22 games.
Hopes of a title challenge remain slim but the north London club were deserved winners against the Bees last time out and, perhaps more importantly, were able to welcome back James Maddison for his first start since November.
Maddison made Spurs tick in the early part of the season and his return is a massive boost, while Postecoglou has also been able to call on his first-choice back four of Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Van and Destiny Udogie over the last three games.
Heung-min Son is still representing South Korea at the Asian Cup but Spurs should still have enough firepower to trouble Everton, who have created precious little in recent outings, scoring just two goals in their last six games in all competitions.
The Toffees are in a false position due to their ten-point deduction but their home record is among the worst in the Premier League and they lack the attacking prowess to live with their visitors.
Brighton vs Crystal Palace
There is no love lost between Brighton and Crystal Palace but, while tempers could flare between these two bitter rivals, there might not be a lot of goalmouth action at the Amex Stadium.
Eighth-placed Brighton come into this fixture on the back of a 4-0 drubbing at Luton, where they fell two goals behind in the opening three minutes and never recovered, but the Seagulls have not lost at home in the league since August so there is every chance they bounce back.
Palace, meanwhile, will be high on confidence after a midweek 3-2 win over Sheffield United in which Eberechi Eze scored twice and Michael Olise sealed the three points with a wonderful strike in the second half.
However, the Eagles have claimed just two points from their last five away matches and there are doubts over the availability of the two Tuesday night heroes, who were both substituted with injury niggles.
With Brighton also missing star man Kaoru Mitoma, goals could be difficult to come by and that has generally been a common theme in this fixture with eight of the last nine meetings featuring two goals or fewer.
Newcastle vs Luton
Newcastle breathed life into their hopes of sealing a European return next season with a 3-1 win over Aston Villa on Tuesday night and Eddie Howe will hope his team can build on that display when they host Luton at St James' Park.
The Magpies have been dealing with injuries which contributed to a run of six defeats from seven prior to the victory over Villa, but their confidence was boosted with FA Cup wins over Sunderland and Fulham, while they pushed Manchester City all the way in a heartbreaking 3-2 league loss on January 13th.
Each of Newcastle's last four Premier League fixtures have seen both teams find the net and the same outcome looks likely when they host the Hatters, who have hauled their way out of the relegation zone thanks to an upturn in form.
Luton's recent run began with a 1-0 Kenilworth Road win over Saturday's opponents and Rob Edwards' men have since claimed a further seven points from a possible 12 in the Premier League, scoring in each match.
Sheffield United v Aston Villa
Premier League basement boys Sheffield United are in dire need of a victory but they have been showing increased attacking intent since Chris Wilder returned to the club and can play their part in an entertaining contest against Aston Villa.
The Blades, who find themselves nine points adrift of 17th-placed Luton, drew 2-2 with West Ham two weeks ago in a match which saw them win the shot-on-target count 6-5, then they went down fighting in a 5-2 FA Cup loss at Brighton in which the Seagulls proved more clinical.
Tuesday's 3-2 midweek loss at Crystal Palace was another blow to their survival hopes but they have now scored 12 goals in their last six matches in all competitions with only Man City managing to keep them at bay.
Villa, meanwhile, will be licking their wounds after Tuesday's 3-1 home defeat to Newcastle and they look difficult to trust at short odds having won only one of their last five Premier League matches, a run which included a 1-1 draw in the reverse of this fixture in December.
The Villans do, however, carry plenty of attacking threat and only Liverpool, Nottingham Forest and Everton have managed to keep them at bay in their 11 league away fixtures this season. With that in mind, both teams to score looks a solid bet.
