For once, Everton fans can actually get excited about their side’s return to football, as they go into Friday night’s clash with Luton Town with nothing to play for.
It is the veritable ‘free hit’, and not only represents a chance for Sean Dyche’s side to strengthen their league position, but also to condemn the hosts to further relegation turmoil.
The Hatters will be fighting for their lives, but often there is nothing more dangerous than a team playing with freedom, with Everton having unbound themselves from the pressures that dropping into the Championship provokes.
With that all in mind, it will be interesting to see how strong Dyche goes, and whether he takes any risks on players who have been struggling for fitness in recent weeks.
Predicted Everton XI for Premier League match vs Luton Town
It is expected that the former Burnley boss will make just two changes from the side that strolled to victory against Brentford on Saturday to secure their Premier League status.
Jordan Pickford will remain in goal, fresh from earning his 12th clean sheet of the campaign. Only Arsenal’s David Raya has accumulated more, despite having faced far fewer shots across the term too.
He sits behind a defence unchanged. After all, why alter a winning formula?
However, the lack of changes are also born of minimal alternatives, with Nathan Patterson and Vitaliy Mykolenko having both been ruled out for the season and Seamus Coleman’s fitness remains uncertain.
So, Ashley Young and Ben Godfrey will occupy the full-back spots, and they will flank the ever-present partnership of James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite.
One BBC pundit actually labelled this pairing as ‘perfect’ over the weekend.
Seeking to protect that backline and ensure Ross Barkley does not get the run of the midfield, Idrissa Gana Gueye will want to maintain his sparkling form both defensively and offensively.
It would be a surprise to see James Garner drop out too, but if he were to, Amadou Onana would mark a willing replacement.
Dwight McNeil and Jack Harrison will also retain their spots, but the attacking spine of the team could see a slight change in order to unlock this Luton side.
After all, Rob Edwards’ team have been notoriously open at the back this season, having shipped 77 goals in just 35 games, and therefore the Toffees might benefit from a silky and intelligent creator like Andre Gomes to unpick that threadbare defence.
To swap him for Abdoulaye Doucoure would not be a bad decision either, given the struggles the 31-year-old has endured in recent months. Despite effectively playing as a second striker, he has recorded just one goal contribution in the league since mid-December.
Gomes will be looking to slip in the wingers and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, with the £100k-a-week striker surely back to full health after an illness last weekend.
It would not be a surprise to see him rested again though, given his injury history, and instead allow Youssef Chermiti to continue his fine form up front instead.