For the 113th and final time, we’ll take to the field at Goodison Park for a fixture against Everton on Saturday (12.30pm UK), a venue we’ve been visiting since the teams first met in 1905.
It holds plenty of happy memories for our supporters, and indeed Mikel Arteta who called it home during his six-year stay on Merseyside during his playing days, when he called the recently reappointed David Moyes his manager, rather than his rival in the opposition dugout.
With only four matches left at Goodison, Evertonians will be desperate to extend their three-game unbeaten run on their own patch right until the end, but we’ll be looking to make our final trip memorable by clinching back-to-back wins at the famous old ground for the first time in 13 years, and build momentum with Real Madrid on the horizon.
Moyes’ magical return
Back in January, Sean Dyche’s two-year stint as Everton boss ended with his side sitting just a point above the relegation zone after winning just one of their previous 11 games. The call went out to Moyes to return to the club 12 years after he left to replace Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, and the turnaround has been remarkable.
Now the Merseysiders are 14 points clear and assured of a place in the top-flight for the 72nd consecutive season. After losing his first game to Aston Villa, Everton won four of their next five and held Liverpool to a dramatic 2-2 draw thanks to James Tarkowski’s stoppage-time equaliser to soar away from danger.
Four consecutive draws were then followed by their neighbours gaining revenge on Wednesday night with a controversial 1-0 success at Anfield, but Moyes’ return has ensured that when they move into their new dockside home, they’ll be doing so as a Premier League side.
What the managers say
Arteta: "It will be very special. There’s a lot of history as well between the clubs and I have my own personal story which was a beautiful one, with the manager that has just come back now and he's doing extremely well. I'm so happy for the club, and for David because it's never easy to come back there for the second time.
"In my opinion, he was the person who lifted that club to a different level and now he's on the journey to do it again once they move to a new stadium, so I think it's a really nice story."
Moyes: "I am looking forward to finding out where we are at. [The upcoming games are a] big test for us, we put up a good show the other night – we ran Liverpool pretty close.
"We have got a good points total. We are not mathematically safe yet, but it will be a tough for the sides in the relegation zone to topple us. There is a lot to play for for us. There are a lot of players out of contract. We must keep the players' focus right, and keep their mentality."
Team news
Gabriel will be missing from our line-up after being ruled out for the remainder of the season following his hamstring injury sustained against Fulham on Tuesday, while Jurrien Timber needs to be assessed after sustaining up a knee issue during that game.
Riccardo Calafiori suffered a similar issue on international duty and will miss the next few matches, while Kai Havertz, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Gabriel Jesus will sit out the rest of the season along with our Brazilian centre-back.
Dwight McNeil is back in training after four months out, while Dominic Calvert-Lewin is closing in on a return from a hamstring injury that has kept him out since January but is unlikely to be ready for this match.
Winger Jesper Lindstrom has a groin problem which kept him out of the midweek Merseyside derby, but Orel Mangala is back at Lyon after a knee injury curtailed his loan spell. Iliman Ndiaye made his return from a knee setback against Liverpool and could be set for more gametime on Saturday.
Talking tactics
Adrian Clarke: Moyes has given his team belief they can compete against any side in the division. Their nine-match unbeaten run may have ended on Wednesday, but they remain difficult to wear down.
The first half is going to be crucial to our chances of claiming a win. Everton are usually at their best before the interval, and have only found themselves trailing at the break in six of their 30 top-flight fixtures. It is late on when they tend to run into trouble, leaking more double the number of goals in the final 45 minutes.
We will run into a compact 4-2-3-1, and with Moyes at the helm they are sure to be well-organised. Averaging just 40.4% possession, the second lowest in the division, we are likely to have a lot of the ball. Good movement and speed of passing will be key to our success. With lots of Premier League experience at the back, they are good at repelling hopeful deliveries that are put into the box.
On the ball, they will go long. Everton have made more successful long passes than any other side, and striker Beto will often be the player they aim for. He has been in good form during 2025, and has scored five goals in his last five Premier League starts at Goodison.
Facts and stats
We have won 102 league games against Everton, the most wins for a side against a specific opponent in English league history.
Everton have lost just two of their last 13 Premier League matches at Goodison Park, drawing each of their last three.
After winning four of their five league games against us between December 2020 and February 2023, Everton are now winless in their last four.
We are unbeaten in our last seven visits to the north-west in the Premier League, stretching back to April 2023.
The reverse fixture between these sides ended 0-0 in December – we haven’t kept a clean sheet in both meetings with Everton in a league season since 2011.12, while we haven’t failed to score in both against the Toffees since 1912/13.
Only Liverpool (17 games) are on a longer unbeaten run away from home in the Premier League currently than us (10 games – W5 D5). Since the start of 2024, we have picked up the most away points in the competition (52), and conceded the least goals on our travels (16).
Everton have scored four 90th-minute goals at Goodison Park this season in the Premier League, with three of those being equalisers in draws.
David Moyes won three of his first five Premier League home games against us between 2002 and 2007 but has now won just one of his last 13 (D5 L7), picking up a 1-0 win as Manchester United boss in November 2013.
Martin Odegaard has been involved in five goals in his last seven Premier League appearances against Everton (3 goals, 2 assists), though only one of those came at Goodison Park, opening the scoring in an eventual 2-1 defeat in December 2021.
Bukayo Saka has had a hand in four goals across his last five Premier League appearances against Everton (1 goal, 3 assists).
Match officials
Darren England has been handed control of this encounter, his second Gunners game of the campaign after our 1-0 win over Ipswich Town in December. That was one of four wins from five appointments when we've been overseen by the Doncaster-based official.
He has refereed Everton twice this season, which saw them beat Tottenham Hotspur 3-2 and draw 1-1 with Leicester City. England averages 4.2 yellows a game, has sent off three players and awarded two penalties across his 16 Premier League matches this term.
Referee: Darren England
Assistants: Scott Ledger, Akil Howson
Fourth official: Bobby Madley
VAR: Stuart Attwell
Assistant VAR: Wade Smith
Recent trips to Goodison
On our last trip in September 2023, Leandro Trossard netted the only goal to see us finally record a victory on Everton's patch for the first time since 2017, after he replaced the injured Gabriel Martinelli who had seen a potential opener ruled out for offside.
However the Toffees have not lost consecutive home league games against us since a run of three between 2009 and 2012. Our previous three visits all ended in defeat, including Tarkowski’s header in February 2023, while Richarlison and Damarai Gray scored late on to record a 2-1 win in December 2021.
Before last season’s success, you had to go back nearly six years for our last win at the famous old stadium, when we recorded a 5-2 success with five different players getting on the scoresheet.
Live coverage
Tune into Live From N5 just before kick-off to hear live commentary of the game provided by Dan Roebuck and Adrian Clarke, who will guide you through all the action if you’re out and about.
You can also find out which broadcasters are showing the action live wherever you are in the world.
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