No longer a Boxing Day fixture straight after Christmas, Everton's next match at Burnley has to now take place on 27 December at Turf Moor.
While the traditional matchday calendar has been stretched across the weekend to accommodate the whims of broadcasters, the mission for David Moyes and his squad remains unchanged: arrest what is showing signs of developing into a worrying losing streak and reclaim the momentum that had us looking upward just a few weeks ago, rather than slidng back down into the bottom half of the Premier League table.
Everton arrive in the old Lancashire milltown sitting 10th in the table, but with a bit of a pre-Christmas hangover following a frustrating 1-0 home defeat to Arsenal last weekend. Despite that setback, the Blues have been showing a little more bite on the road lately, including two precious wins at Old Trafford and the Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth.
Burnley, managed by Scott Parker, are in dire straits. Currently 19th and 7 points from safety, they’ve managed just 1 point from their last six matches — a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth last time out. For Everton, this encounter probably assumes the highly dubious proportions of a "must-win" match if David Moyes's European ambitions are to be taken seriously.
But Everton must go into this match again missing a trio of their vital midfield players: Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is still out with the hamstring injury that forced him off against Chelsea, while Iliman Ndiaye and Idrissa Gueye have deserted their club for Afcon appearances with Senegal.
Jack Grealish has shaken off a hamstring scare and is fit to start but he must get back to strongly influencing games, setting up decent chances, and above all, having a go himself, or his contribution will again be mainly to slow the game down for no ultimate gain.
On the other flank, Dwight McNeil will almost certainly be selected by Moyes to start against his old club. But he has been so poor when unleashed that surely Tyler Dibling should be shown the trust required for him to start the game in an effort to give him the confidence he desperately needs to make the move north a promising boost to his fledgling career as a professional footballer — and not the premature death sentence that it appears to be so far.
Jarrad Branthwaite remains sidelined for another month, meaning the partnership of James Tarkowski and Michael Keane will continue in the centre of defence against their former club, with Jake O'Brien once again filling in at right-back as he tries to recover from the embarrassment of last week's volleyball move that gifted a penalty and ultimately the game to Arsenal.
Burnley are also depleted by Afcon, missing Lyle Foster, Hannibal Mejbri, and Axel Tuanzebe.
Everton have dominated this fixture recently, winning three of the last four meetings. Burnley’s defensive record is the second-worst in the league (with 34 goals conceded), while Everton’s xG suggests we’ve actually been under-scoring relative to the chances created for the Chuckle Brothers, Beto and Barry, who continue to persist with their battle to the bottom to see who can secure the title of "Worst Premier League Striker in Living Memory".
Despite the stark difference in talent pools, the standard tried and tested Moyes formula for securing points will undoubtedly be employed: keep it tight at the back; hope Grealish might just provide the spark, and somehow someone can nick one to stay ahead of The Clarets and steal the points.
Turf Moor is rarely "easy" but, against a side that we hope really has forgotten how to win, Everton must ensure they don't hand out any post-Christmas gifts to the bottom-dwellers.
Reader Comments (45)
Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer ()
2 Posted 24/12/2025 at 18:53:55
If we had Dewsbury-Hall, Ndiaye in that midfield I would be confident we'd go there and beat them but the midfield will be an absolute mishmash and lack any pace or thrust.
Two away games in three days followed by Brentford at home, maybe if we can rack up 5 points here it wouldn't be a terrible haul, obviously I'd be wanting 7 at least from that trio of fixtures, albeit not very likely right now.
3 Posted 24/12/2025 at 19:31:00
Against Burnley we have to get some chances set up early on and hopefully Beto or Barry benefit. If Beto or Alacaraz play, put them together
4 Posted 24/12/2025 at 20:36:43
They had a fantastic season to gain promotion, which rarely translates to the Premier League, with Sunderland proving an exception up to now. I think we may win but it won't be an easy match, and that will depend on Moyes's selection.
5 Posted 24/12/2025 at 21:47:46
THE BALLAD OF DAVE ABRAHAMS
(To the tune of Fairy Tale of New York")
It was Christmas Eve, Dave
At the B.. M..D
A..bra..hams said to me
"Won't see another win"
And as he sang a song
The Spirit of the Blues
I raised my fist right up
"Next year.. we win the cup"
God Bill's the lucky one
Came in...30 (million) to one
I've got a feeling
This year's for something Blue
So happy Christmas
I love ya Davey
I can see a better world
Where Champions wear blue.
Happy Christmas ToffeeWebbers!
6 Posted 24/12/2025 at 21:54:39
8 Posted 24/12/2025 at 22:35:58
Even they have scored 1 goal more than us, but have leaked 14 more goals.
It's got 0-0 or 1-0 to us or them all over it.
I just hoping for some luck and we manage a goal scorer.
9 Posted 24/12/2025 at 23:11:09
I'd be surprised and overjoyed if we thumped them but, with the absentees, I expect it to be close. A bore draw is also a possibility.
10 Posted 25/12/2025 at 01:00:10
11 Posted 25/12/2025 at 03:15:08
Come on, Raymond, we're 13 points ahead of them.
1-2
12 Posted 25/12/2025 at 08:37:41
What a great Christmas song that was — leave football for today it's two days to the game so Merry Christmas to all Bluenoses and a Happy Healthy New Year to all of You.
13 Posted 25/12/2025 at 08:43:12
14 Posted 25/12/2025 at 09:02:59
15 Posted 25/12/2025 at 09:10:12
16 Posted 25/12/2025 at 09:15:30
They have tarnished a great song, although the obvious contradiction of what I should already be aware, is that it's only fucking words!
Merry Christmas everyone, I must have got a visit from one of the ghosts of Christmas past in my sleep last night, because I've really enjoyed watching the joy that Christmas can bring this morning.
If you accompany your wife to mass, Brendan, then say a prayer for Everton. Hopefully 2026 is going to be the year that we finally get to win the FA Cup again.
17 Posted 25/12/2025 at 09:19:31
I know it's Christmas but it's one game at a time for me!!
18 Posted 25/12/2025 at 10:52:00
I see you have given me my full title, Paul, is this your schoolmaster persona coming out again?
19 Posted 25/12/2025 at 11:04:19
20 Posted 25/12/2025 at 11:34:35
Off-form player in form McNeil and struggling player in Dibling. I will be pleasantly surprised if we win this match. Mostly it looks like a draw!
21 Posted 25/12/2025 at 12:50:18
You being positive!
It must be Xmas after All!
Merry Blue Chrimbo to All Bluenoses! 💙🎅👍
22 Posted 25/12/2025 at 15:22:22
23 Posted 25/12/2025 at 16:51:26
Right now healthy seems a very long way off! I'm stuffed and full of red wine and stiff as fuck from sitting upright around a dinner table for 5 hours but I'm looking forward to back to “normal”.
I agree with PH -- 12 points is achievable.
Merry Christmas all and UTFT
24 Posted 25/12/2025 at 18:06:47
Marrying world class analytics with a world class scouting system -- bearing fruit in a backs-to-the-wall performance against Guardiola's natural successor.
25 Posted 25/12/2025 at 18:40:06
26 Posted 25/12/2025 at 18:41:02
27 Posted 25/12/2025 at 21:14:27
Breige is good and she speaks very fondly of you and June.
We are often asked to tell the story of that Liverpool weekend at family gatherings and Breige always refers to you and June as our "Angels" of that weekend.
I hope 2026 brings a lot of joy to you and June... Tony, Michael and your daughter who's name escapes me.
An Irish blessing to you all.
28 Posted 25/12/2025 at 21:31:01
29 Posted 25/12/2025 at 21:33:17
30 Posted 25/12/2025 at 21:35:40
31 Posted 25/12/2025 at 21:43:51
RIP John - cracking player.
32 Posted 25/12/2025 at 22:07:05
Hoping for a win at Burnley on Saturday, which will not be easy. Always slightly concerned when we are playing against teams who are on such a poor run.
33 Posted 25/12/2025 at 22:26:07
Say a prayer for Everton... I did.
Moyes came back.
I'm thinking of turning Protestant.
34 Posted 25/12/2025 at 22:34:23
A true Nottingham Forest legend, how could he not be after scoring the winner in a European Cup Final for them? His passing will ensure that Everton are going to be playing against a very emotional crowd, next Tuesday night.
I have very fond memories of playing for Martin O'Neill and John Robertson. I can still remember the first time I met him playing in a testimonial game one Sunday, a few years after he had retired, when he just got on the minibus, gave a couple of the coaches stick, and immediately got the banter going between us young kids.
So sad, I can still remember him taking a ball out of the sky and killing it stone dead that day but I suppose the one thing that all great players have got in common is making the game look easy.
35 Posted 25/12/2025 at 22:41:28
36 Posted 25/12/2025 at 23:22:59
37 Posted 25/12/2025 at 23:24:49
38 Posted 25/12/2025 at 23:36:35
You can't see what your'e doing wrong there.
In the words of the wonderful George Michael...
"Cos I gotta have faith"
39 Posted 26/12/2025 at 05:52:23
40 Posted 26/12/2025 at 05:58:07
'Having been on the transfer list before Clough's arrival in 1975, he became a key player under the iconic manager, appearing in 243 consecutive games between December 1976 and December 1980'
Who called him a
"scruffy, unfit, uninterested waste of time" who he turned into "one of the finest deliverers of a football I have ever seen, as fine as the Brazilians or the Italians".
41 Posted 26/12/2025 at 17:56:38
Welcome to the forum. Look out for the bullies though. They don't like it when you disagree with them!
42 Posted 26/12/2025 at 20:54:49
I was thinking about that cross, Robertson, delivered to Trevor Francis, last night Paul, which meant he assisted the winning goal in one European Cup Final, and went back the following year to score the winning goal himself!
None of us can live forever and I'm sure one of my old mates had recently told me John Robertson had been suffering with a little bit of dementia. It's not something I'd like to live with myself, so the news about Robertson dying didn't spoil my Christmas Day but rather made me think of the good times when I was a younger man. (He did me a big favour one day at Wembley.)
The story between Robertson and Clough was worth listening to. Robertson smoked, Clough drank, and they come to an agreement with each other that they would both give up their vices.
I found this intriguing because normally Clough just told everyone, and I mean everyone, what to do, which shows you the esteem that he must have held for Robertson, especially because he would have known that neither of them were ever going to stick to their promise, either!
43 Posted 26/12/2025 at 21:22:51
I've a sneaky feeling Cloughy reneged on his part of the bargain, Tony… ATB
44 Posted 26/12/2025 at 21:31:42
I never minded Clough but I also thought he could be very strict. It sounded like he was a lot harder on the players who won him the First Division title and the European Cup, especially after hearing a story that Martin O'Neill once told me, to give an example of why he thought the gaffer had gone soft in his later years.
45 Posted 27/12/2025 at 11:10:19
46 Posted 28/12/2025 at 06:38:51
Imagine, Tony could have bought you a top gaff in somewhere of your choice.
Add Your Comments
In order to post a comment, you need to be logged in as a registered user of the site.
Or Sign up as a ToffeeWeb Member — it's free, takes just a few minutes and will allow you to post your comments on articles and Talking Points submissions across the site.
How to get rid of these ads and support TW
1 Posted 24/12/2025 at 17:10:54
Didn't we hear that from a certain Mr Dyche when he was Burnley boss? Hope that night's result isn't repeated.
Merry Christmas all and enjoy our 2-O win on Saturday.