Tottenham vs Everton Preview: De Zerbi's Goalless Spurs Against Moyes' Unbeaten Toffees
Three matches into the season, Tottenham have not scored a Premier League goal. Not one. Roberto De Zerbi's rebuild cost more than €350 million in the summer window, the squad is full of recognised names, and the return so far is a single point and a place in the bottom three. Everton arrive in London unbeaten, with five points, and with the unusual distinction of having rescued late draws in each of their last two league games. Something has to give at 5:30 on a Saturday evening in N17.
Two Dresses, Two Opposite Problems
Tottenham's league season reads 0-3 at Brentford, 0-2 at home to Newcastle, and 0-0 away at Nottingham Forest. The Forest draw at least stopped the run of defeats, and it came with 59% possession and ten corners — but it also came with not a single shot on target. Across three matches Spurs have generated somewhere between 2.6 and 2.9 expected goals from 37 shots, which is the frustrating part: the chances exist. Omar Marmoush went close twice against Forest and has not converted. No player in the division has completed more dribbles than Mathys Tel's ten, and still the ball will not go in.
Everton, by contrast, are doing the unglamorous things well. They opened with a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace, drew 1-1 at Bournemouth through a stoppage-time James Tarkowski header, then drew 2-2 with Manchester United thanks to a 96th-minute Ainsley Maitland-Niles strike on his league debut for the club. Throw in a 4-0 EFL Cup win at Preston and David Moyes' side have scored ten goals in their last five matches in all competitions. They have also forced 28 high turnovers this season, the third-most in the division — a team that hunts the ball rather than waiting for it.
Head-to-Head: Tottenham's Home Record Here Is Brutal
This fixture has been lopsided at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Opta's numbers are stark: Spurs have won their last five home meetings with Everton by an aggregate of 14-1. Everton's only win in the last five encounters of any venue came at Goodison Park in January 2025, and they are without a win in their last six away league matches (three draws, three defeats).
| Date | Competition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 24 May 2026 | Premier League MD38 | Tottenham 1-0 Everton |
| 26 Oct 2025 | Premier League MD9 | Everton 0-3 Tottenham |
| 19 Jan 2025 | Premier League MD22 | Everton 3-2 Tottenham |
| 24 Aug 2024 | Premier League MD2 | Tottenham 4-0 Everton |
| 3 Feb 2024 | Premier League MD23 | Everton 2-2 Tottenham |
The most recent of those, a 1-0 Tottenham win on the final day of last season, was also the last league goal Spurs scored at this ground against Everton. Tottenham finished 17th in 2025/26 and only secured their status on that final afternoon.
Four Things to Watch
1. The 14-1 home record meets a goalless attack
Every historical cue points to a home win, and Tottenham have not lost at home to Everton in the league in this run. But none of those five wins were produced by a side that had failed to score in three consecutive league matches. Spurs are one of only three teams in the division still without a goal, alongside Aston Villa and Coventry City. If they go a fourth game without scoring it will be their worst run since 2006/07 — a season that, awkwardly, also contained a home defeat to Everton.
2. Barry against a patched-up centre-back pairing
Thierno Barry is Everton's only recognised senior striker after a difficult window, and he has responded with a goal against Palace and a hat-trick at Preston. He is likely to run at Jan Paul van Hecke and Micky van de Ven, with Tottenham already five goals conceded in three games. Whether Destiny Udogie or Andy Robertson starts at left-back is still unresolved in the pre-match reporting — ESPN and ToffeeWeb disagree — and that flank is where Everton have been happiest attacking.
3. The Richarlison subplot
The Brazilian was left out of Tottenham's Premier League squad and is trying to force a move after taking his complaint to FIFA. He rejected a deadline-day move to Everton when the two clubs could not agree terms. Neither of those facts puts him on the pitch on Saturday, but it is the sort of noise that follows a squad into a must-win home game, and it removes a tried and tested alternative up front for De Zerbi.
4. Everton's press against Spurs' build-up
Only two teams have forced more high turnovers than Everton's 28 this season, and Tottenham play out from the back as a matter of principle under De Zerbi. Tottenham have restricted opponents to no more than 13.5 shots in nine of their last ten league matches, so they are not easy to break down — but they are being asked to play through a press in their own third with a forward line that has forgotten how to finish.
Predicted Lineups
Neither side had confirmed a starting XI at the time of writing. The selections below follow the projected elevens published by ESPN, cross-checked against legalbet and ToffeeWeb. Reporting differs at Tottenham's left-back spot and on Everton's right flank, so treat both as provisional.
Tottenham Hotspur
- Kinsky
- Porro, Van Hecke, Van de Ven, Udogie
- Bentancur, Tonali
- Tel, Gallagher, Sávio
- Marmoush
Out: Dejan Kulusevski (knee), Xavi Simons (cruciate), Wilson Odobert (cruciate), Mykhaylo Mudryk (muscle, expected to miss six to eight weeks). James Maddison is a doubt with a shoulder problem. Richarlison is not registered in the league squad.
Everton
- Pickford
- Maitland-Niles, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko
- Garner, Armstrong
- Dibling, Dewsbury-Hall, George
- Barry
Christian Nørgaard is the one confirmed absentee with a muscle injury and is not expected back until after the international break; James Garner is a fitness doubt. Jack Grealish came off the bench against Manchester United and Moyes says he is ready to play.
Key Battle: Everton's Turnovers vs Tottenham's Rest Defence
The shape of this game is simple enough to call in advance. Tottenham will have the ball — they had 59% of it at Forest and 10 corners — and Everton will try to win it back high up the pitch and run at a back four that has already conceded five. Harrison Armstrong and James Garner against Sandro Tonali and Rodrigo Bentancur is where that fight happens; if Everton win it in the Tottenham half, Barry gets the sort of early service he has been converting since August.
The counter-argument for Spurs is that their defensive structure has held up better than the results suggest. Nine of their last ten league matches have seen them limit opponents to 13.5 shots or fewer. De Zerbi's side are not being carved open; they are simply not scoring at the other end. One goal might really be enough here.
Kit Note: Lilywhite and Royal Blue
Home whites against a royal blue away strip is about as traditional as this fixture gets, and both clubs have plenty in the current range. Spurs' 2026/27 home shirt is the obvious pick for a Saturday evening in north London, while Everton's third from last season remains the most interesting thing in the away kit cupboard. Here is what is in stock for both sides.
Tottenham Hotspur — home, away and third
Swipe to browse 5 Spurs shirts
Everton — home, away and kids
Swipe to browse 4 Everton shirts
