Seven months after suffering what looked like a career-ending injury, the Everton captain Seamus Coleman returns to the starting line-up. Dominic Calvert-Lewin is also back from injury, so Beto drops out. James Garner is unwell, so the vintage Swiss Army knife known to most as Ashley Young will play in the centre of midfield.
Newcastle are down to the bare bones, so their only change is enforced: Martin Dubravka replaces Nick Pope in goal.
Everton (possible 4-2-3-1) Pickford; Coleman, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Young, Gueye; Harrison, Doucoure, McNeil; Calvert-Lewin.
Substitutes: Joao Virginia, Patterson, Keane, Godfrey, Hunt, Danjuma, Beto, Chermiti, Dobbin.
Newcastle (4-1-2-3) Dubravka; Trippier, Lascelles, Schar, Livramento; Bruno Guimaraes; Miley, Joelinton; Almiron, Isak, Gordon.
Substitutes: Karius, Gillespie, Dummett, Krafth, Hall, Murphy, Ritchie, Diallo, Parkinson.
Referee Tim Robinson.
If the Premier League be the food of love, play o- oh never mind, we’re getting an excess of it whether we like it or not. A slap-up three-course matchweek, with all 10 games shown live in the UK, concludes with tonight’s dessert: Everton v Newcastle and Tottenham v West Ham.
All four teams have an obvious incentive to win. Everton can move out of the bottom three; Newcastle can jump to fifth. Spurs can’t go higher than fifth, their current position, but a win would move them level on points with mini-crisis club Manchester City. And West Ham… okay West Ham will end the night in ninth whatever happens, and they can’t go level with any teams above them, but victory over their beloathed Spurs is an end in itself.
The games are staggered, with Everton v Newcastle kicking off at 7.30pm and Spurs v West Ham at 8.15pm. It’s the Guardian Sport Xmas party tonight, so you’re on your own, you can follow the Live Scores page, there’s a pint of Lagunitas with ma name on it let’s show them what they’re missing, eh? Eh?
Oh.