Live Commentary - Newcastle vs Everton
PL Predictions: Newcastle to return to the Champions League
Sky Sports' betting expert Lewis Jones:
Only once in Premier League history has a team entered the final day in a Champions League place and failed to qualify.
Newcastle will be there with a win. A point will be enough if Forest vs Chelsea ends in a draw or Villa fail to win.
Premier League predictions, odds and best bets: Nottingham Forest to send Chelsea crashing out of Champions League places
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Eddie Howe's team are a reliable bunch at home, winning their last six at St James' Park, scoring 20 goals.
If they win this, it will be their most points (41) and most wins (13) at home in a Premier League campaign since 2003. It's hard to see anything but the 1/3 with Sky Bet landing - but how do we get a palatable price? The goalscorer market looks the place to be with Sandro Tonali the standout at 11/2 to score anytime. He has scored three in his last five home games as the Toon faithful do seem to inspire him.
SCORE PREDICTION: 3-0
Three changes for Everton
David Moyes has made three changes to the side that waved goodbye to Goodison Park last weekend, as the departing Ashley Young, Jack Harrison and Carlos Alcaraz all come in.
Seamus Coleman and Dwight McNeil drop to the bench, as does Abdoulaye Doucoure who will also be leaving the club upon the expiration of his contract.
The race for Europe: Everything you need to know
Isak returns for Newcastle
The big news then for Newcastle fans is that Alexander Isak is fit to start against Everton, with the Swedish goal machine leading the line for the final team this season.
There is also a start for Anthony Gordon against his former club. How he would love to grab a goal today in order to help secure Champions League football.
Kieran Trippier was an injury doubt beforehand but starts on the bench, while the out of contract Callum Wilson is also among the substitutes.
Everton team news
Everton team to face Newcastle: Pickford; Young, O'Brien, Keane, Mykolenko; Gana, Garner, Harrison, Ndiay, Alcaraz; Beto.
Subs: Virginia, Begovic, Patterson, McNeil, Calvert-Lewin, Doucoure, Chermiti, Broja, Welch.
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Newcastle team news - Isak returns!
Newcastle team to face Everton: Pope; Livramento, Schar, Botman, Burn; Tonali, Guimaraes; Murphy, Gordon, Barnes; Isak.
Subs: Dubravka, Trippier, Lascelles, Wilson, Krafth, Osula, Willock, Longstaff, Miley.
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Team news in five minutes!
Will Alexander Isak be back to help push Newcastle into the Champions League? Who will David Moyes send out to try and ruin the party?
We won't have long to wait as team news will be with you in five minutes!
Isak making 'good progress' ahead of crucial final match
Eddie Howe says Alexander Isak is making "good progress" on his return from injury ahead of Newcastle's crucial match against Everton on Sunday.
The Sweden international missed last weekend’s 1-0 defeat at Arsenal with a groin problem and faces a race to be fit with Champions League qualification at stake.
Howe said: "He is doing OK. He hasn't trained with us yet but he's made good progress through the week.
"The next couple of days will be absolutely crucial to his availability on Sunday.
"There's a chance [he could play]. It's difficult to give any more than that.
"Until he trains with us, we won't fully know how he's going to respond to the training and the demands that the game will place upon him.
"We'll only play him if he's fit to contribute but at the moment he has an opportunity, potentially."
Howe plans to see Isak train on Saturday with the team.
"This week he's been training just individually and building up his load," added Howe. "He's been running and feels OK at the moment. But of course running is one thing and kicking a ball and doing all the other things that you need to do is another.
"So far what he's been asked to do, he's done it pain-free and he's done it well. So the next two days will be absolutely crucial.
"We'd love for him to be available for the game but he has to be fit to give his best. We wouldn't risk him being not able to deliver what he's able to do."
The state of play
Newcastle begin the day ahead of the chasing pack in fourth, but failure to win and that can all change…
Welcome!
For one last time this season, St James’ Park gets ready for Premier League action, and it really is do or die for Newcastle’s Champions League hopes as they welcome Everton.
The objective for the Magpies is clear: win. Victory will — barring any incredible goal-difference-related circumstance — be enough for Eddie Howe’s men to return to Europe’s elite competition.
They start the day level on points with both Chelsea and Aston Villa, and a point clear of Nottingham Forest. Their superior goal difference means they go into kick-off exactly where they want to be — in the driving seat.
Premier League final day LIVE! Premier League match updates, news, score, stream and highlights
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The Toffees, fresh off the back of saying a fond farewell to Goodison Park last week, are here to spoil the party. David Moyes’ side have nothing to play for in terms of league position. No matter what happens, they will finish 13th. But they still play the role of antagonists, looking to crush the dreams of almost everyone stepping foot into St James’ this afternoon.
It’s the Premier League. There’s nothing quite like it. So hold onto your hats as we say goodbye to the 2024/25 season with a match that carries massive implications for how 2025/26 will look for the hosts.
Moyes says Everton will miss Doucoure as he plans summer rebuild
David Moyes admitted Everton will miss Abdoulaye Doucoure as he revealed he is expecting a busy summer behind the scenes.
Midfielder Doucoure announced on Tuesday that he will be leaving the Toffees this summer at the end of his contract after five years at Goodison Park.
Moyes revealed the 32-year-old has his future planned, saying: “I think he’s been a great servant for the club, he’s done a great job over many years here. We made him an offer and he’s got a better one to go elsewhere so, from that point of view, we have to live with that.
“We’re quite comfortable with that. We’re also trying to look to rebuild and make things better and try to see what we can do more.
“We wanted him to stay but obviously he’s chosen to take a better offer. Since I’ve been here he’s been really, really good. We’ve just about selected him in every game we’ve played. We’ll miss him but I’ve got no hard feelings from his decision.”
Everton are likely to reveal on Monday the fate of other out-of-contract players like Idrissa Gueye, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Michael Keane following their final Premier League match of the season against Newcastle on Sunday.
Moyes has been delighted with the efforts of his players in securing a 13th-placed finish, but believes the hard work has just started when it comes to improving the squad.
“We’ve got an awful lot of players out of contract, we’ve got the most players on loan of any club in the Premier League,” he said.
“We have to find a way of starting to get back on the correct road. We’ll try and do that, we’ll try and sign some players, but we’ll also have to keep some players as well.
“I’ve got no problem with keeping them all at the moment because they’re doing so well, but we want to add and we want to become better.
“We’ve got a lot of things in place, we’re obviously touching base with some people to see what their thoughts are, would they like to join the club. There’s a lot of things going on behind the scenes at the moment.
“We’ve worked hard in the three or four months we’ve been here to try and get ourselves in a strong position. We’ve certainly kept ourselves a Premier League club so the next part is to grow it. That’s a little bit harder but we now need to take it forward.”
Branthwaite & Coleman absent for Everton
For Sunday's trip to Newcastle United, Everton will be without defenders Seamus Coleman, who has a thigh strain, and Jarrad Branthwaite, who was forced off in last weekend’s emotional Goodison Park farewell with a hamstring problem
“He’s injured and won’t be available,” said Moyes. “It’s probably four or five weeks. There’s not much we can do about it, it’s a big loss to us but we have to live with it just now.”
Essential Questions: Who will win the race for Europe? And where does KDB rank amongst Premier League greats?
Sky Sports' Ron Walker, Peter Smith and Sam Blitz look ahead to the final weekend in the Premier League and focus on the race for European football next season, with 10 teams all in contention for the different competitions.
Plus, ahead of what's expected to be his final game for Manchester City, we hear from Kevin de Bruyne and ask where he might rank amongst Premier League greats.
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Will Joelinton play vs Everton?
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe on Joelinton injury:
"No, Joelinton won't be back. He's had another injection in his knee, which was always on the cards. He's in a knee brace only as protection from that injection.
"He's making good progress. We envisage that he will be back for pre-season with no problems."
Trippier has a 'chance' of training before Sunday
Kieran Trippier has a "chance" of featuring against Everton for Newcastle.
The right-back has missed the last two matches with a calf injury.
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe said: "He's probably in a similar situation to Alex (Isak). He hasn't trained with us yet and he's had an absence of maybe two, two and a half weeks.
"But he has a chance, maybe in the next couple of days to build up his load and maybe we'll see him train tomorrow. Let's wait and see."
Isak making 'good progress' ahead of crucial final match
Eddie Howe says Alexander Isak is making "good progress" on his return from injury ahead of Newcastle's crucial match against Everton on Sunday.
The Sweden international missed last weekend’s 1-0 defeat at Arsenal with a groin problem and faces a race to be fit with Champions League qualification at stake.
Howe said: "He is doing OK. He hasn't trained with us yet but he's made good progress through the week.
"The next couple of days will be absolutely crucial to his availability on Sunday.
"There's a chance [he could play]. It's difficult to give any more than that.
"Until he trains with us, we won't fully know how he's going to respond to the training and the demands that the game will place upon him.
"We'll only play him if he's fit to contribute but at the moment he has an opportunity, potentially."
Howe plans to see Isak train on Saturday with the team.
"This week he's been training just individually and building up his load," added Howe. "He's been running and feels OK at the moment. But of course running is one thing and kicking a ball and doing all the other things that you need to do is another.
"So far what he's been asked to do, he's done it pain-free and he's done it well. So the next two days will be absolutely crucial.
"We'd love for him to be available for the game but he has to be fit to give his best. We wouldn't risk him being not able to deliver what he's able to do."
