Brighton & Hove Albion travel to Goodison Park to face Everton on Saturday afternoon looking to extend their unbeaten run to eight matches in all competitions.
Last weekend the Seagulls ran out 2-1 winners over Arsenal at the Amex Stadium courtesy of first-half goals from Lewis Dunk and Glenn Murray, and travel to Merseyside this weekend in good form.
SEVENTH HEAVEN
The Seagulls enjoyed an unbeaten February with wins over West Ham United, Swansea City and Coventry City respectively, as well as picking up a 1-1 draw away to Stoke City on the road at the bet365 Stadium.
It was a points return and a run of form which saw Chris Hughton, Glenn Murray, Pascal Gross and Jose Izquierdo shortlisted for a range of awards, and Albion then managed the aforementioned victory last Sunday to move the side up to 10th in the top flight and make it seven unbeaten.
TOP SIX CRACKED
The win over Arsene Wenger’s men was the first time Chris Hughton’s men had beaten one of the Premier League’s top six sides.
A valiant effort in the 1-0 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford back in November was the closest the Seagulls game to getting something from a contest against one of the divisions’ top sides – but the win against the Gunners put pay to that statistic and will undoubtedly be a big boost to the side between now and the end of the campaign.
STICKY TOFFEE PATCH
Sam Allardyce’s team have won twice in their last 12 matches in all competitions – home victories in the Premier League over Leicester City and Crystal Palace, with January arrival Theo Walcott bagging a brace in the former over the Foxes.
Last time out the side were on the wrong of a 2-1 scoreline against Burnley at Turf Moor – as second-half goals from Ashley Barnes and Chris Wood cancelled out Cenk Tosun’s first half opener.
The second half also saw the dismissal of captain Ashley Williams late on and so the hosts will be without the central defender on Saturday afternoon.
LEVEL-PEGGING
Both sides head into the game this weekend on 34 points – with Albion a place ahead of the Toffees in 10th due to a superior goal difference.
A victory for either side would see them cement a place in the top half of the Premier League as the season approaches the run-in, and Hughton will be hoping his men can pick up a positive result having found the net in each of their previous three games on the road.
STAKING A CLAIM
The duo of Davy Klassen and Ramiro Funes Mori both featured in Monday evening’s 2-0 victory over Swansea City for Everton's under-23 side.
Klassen – a £25million summer arrival from Ajax, has not featured in the Premier League since September, despite captaining his former side to the Europa League Final during the previous campaign.
Funes Mori featured in a defence that kept a clean sheet against the Welsh side at the start of the week – something that Everton have only managed six times in the top flight this season.
Having not made an appearance for the club for almost a year, both he and Klassen have more than staked their claim to be chosen by Allardyce on Saturday for the game with Seagulls.