Everton are back in Premier League action again this weekend, but have it all to do against relegation rivals Nottingham Forest.
Following their inspired draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers over the weekend, they gained one point and plenty of goal difference on the Toffees, who were destroyed at Stamford Bridge.
That Chelsea annihilation has really dampened spirits on Merseyside, and is certain to make Sunday’s Goodison Park affair a nervy one.
However, Sean Dyche will have a plan to neutralise the threat of the visitors.
And, he is blessed with one outstanding benefit which should help him get one over on Nuno Espirito Santo.
Everton can exploit Nottingham Forest’s weakness
This season, Everton have been heavily reliant on a few things.
Whether it be players like Jarrad Branthwaite or Abdoulaye Doucoure, should their form waver, so too does the entire team.
Yet, there has been one constant throughout the campaign which has provided a pretty consistent source of goals where there has often been none: set-pieces.
When it comes to goals from set pieces, only Arsenal (18) have scored more than the Toffees, with their tally of 15 goals accounting for 47% of all of their Premier League goals.
They boast a dangerous reliance on this method, but it has proven effective throughout.
And it should do so again this Sunday, considering Forest are notoriously poor at defending this strategy.
As of just last month, they had conceded 38% of their goals from set pieces, a league-high of 18.
Dyche will be licking his lips looking at these figures, and should he keep things tight at the back, he should be confident of grinding out a result with a scrappy set-piece goal.
Sunday’s match could decide Premier League relegation
Although there is another side in the running, Luton Town’s match at home to fellow strugglers Brentford poses a huge opportunity for the 18th-placed outfit to propel themselves up and out of the bottom three.
And, whether Everton wins or not, that is exactly what they would do.
The Toffees would move well clear of the bottom three with just a few games left, and it would potentially resign the Tricky Trees to the drop.
However, should the visitors win on Sunday, it really drags Dyche’s side deep into the mire.
Forest would leapfrog them, and with a Luton win too it would actually push them into the relegation zone.
A truly petrifying prospect, this weekend of fixtures has the potential to completely shape the run-in, and decide who is in a strong position to retain top-flight, and who is not.