Newcastle United v Everton: Premier League – live

7.54pm GMT

Our teams are tunnelled, and here they come.

7.51pm GMT

Check this from 2m 45s. Thierno Barry wants it.

With an explainer here:

7.48pm GMT

“We now seem to be entering the era of post-PiF takeover where Will Osula is officially considered crucial to our su̶r̶v̶i̶v̶a̶l̶ lower-mid-table hopes,” writes Chris Paraskevas. “That’s either a reflection of a sudden discovery of hidden talent in the lad *or* a desperate reflection of a disastrous transfer window under the David Hopkinson + MJ + Ross Wilson + PiF Rockstar Supergroup.

In any case I’m not too fussed about today’s defeat (any time Mary Waltz manages a comment, Everton beat us...it’s the Curse of the Waltz! and we can’t do anything to stop it)

At least our second-choice striker is fit and scoring (Dan Burn).”

I can’t get my head around how dull this Newcastle side is. There’s no player in the starting Xi I’m excited to see, who defenders will fear; it’s hard not to think Toure and Steur are performing miserably in training, otherwise why would they be getting so few minutes?

7.45pm GMT

Jaissle tells Sky Elanga is improving physically and deserves to start today; he wants him and Osula to show their potential, and both have the speed to cause any defence problems. His team have to be ruthless in both boxes, using every opportunity to score, and if they do it should be a great result.

Moyes says Rohl is adaptable, likewise O’Brien, so moving them isn’t a problem. Every team knows every other team, so he’s not expecting any surprises.

7.40pm GMT

Everton, meanwhile, wo’t be afraid to go long, with Barry contesting aerial balls and Rohl, Dewsbury-Hall and George looking to get in and around him. George, in particular, will be tasked with running at the newcastle defenders, while Dewsbury-Hall will look to prompt around the box, nudging balls in behind or shooting, and box-crash with make third-man runs. Otherwise, Barry will look to run off the centre-backs, who don’t have the pace to keep up, and look for one-touch close-range finishes.

7.37pm GMT

So where is the game? Newcastle will, I think, look to defend pretty deep, partly because the lack pace at the back, but also because they want to create space to counter. Elanga is brilliant on the break, but Barnes can also run, likewise Willock, whose eye for a goal is excellent. I also think they’ll want Gonzalez to control the play, with Joelinton often ahead of the ball looking to win high turnovers – they’ll reckon he has the physicality to get after Garner – and also send their full-backs forward so the wingers can attack the box, with crosses and cut-backs directed at Osula.

7.30pm GMT

“Your note about not expecting a goalfest doesn’t tell the half of it,” sighs Matt Burtz. “One thing I’ve learned from watching Everton over the last 15 years is that I can usually expect defensive solidity while at the same time experiencing a distinct lack of attacking prowess. The last time Everton scored 50+ goals in the league was 2018-19. Somehow they managed 62 league goals in 2016-17, which was, not coincidentally, Romelu Lukaku’s last season at Goodison, when he banged in 25. The last time they scored 70? You have to go back to their last league title, 1986-87, when they played 42 games. (They were also relegated in 1929-30 despite scoring 80 because they contrived to allow 92, so maybe free flowing football isn’t always the answer).”

Yup, since the Dogs of War days in the mid-90s, Everton have been dogged rather than inspired. It’s a long time since they were the School of Science, or as fun to watch as the 1984-85 champions.

7.24pm GMT

Email! “Greetings from California,” begins Mary Waltz. “The day before America hopefully begins to end the Trump delusion half of our citizens have been under. And then there is my beloved Everton, who can’t seem to catch a break. I get suspending Grealish but we simply do not have the depth to replace his ability to generate attacking chances.”

I’m looking forward to seeing how Tyrique George gets on in his stead, though, and it also means there’s more chance Dibling gets a go. And ultimately, those lads are the future of Everton, not Grealish – though the may well miss him in the short term.

7.10pm GMT

David Moyes, meanwhile, also makes two changes. Jarrad Branthwaite returns after two games missed following concussion protocol, so too Harrison Armstrong. I doubt the away following will be chuffed that it’s Hayden Hackney and Tyler Dibling dropping out, but to accommodate the changes, Merlin Rohl moves forward from right-back to right-wing, with Jake O’Brien moving out of the middle to fill his old spot.

7.05pm GMT

The big news for Newcastle is that Anthony Elanga returns to the starting XI, for the first time since diddling his hamstring at Millwall nearly two months ago. He and Joelinton are the two changes to the side which lost at Everton last midweek, Jacob Ramsey and Jacob Murphy dropping to the bench. But equally important is the news that Osula is fit enough to start.

Updated at 7.06pm GMT

7.03pm GMT

Related: Jack Grealish left out of Everton squad again for Premier League trip to Newcastle

7.02pm GMT

Teams! Newcastle United (4-2-3-1-): Hornicek; Dedic, Schar, Burn, Hall; Joelinton, Gonzalez; Elanga, Willock, Barnes; Osula. Subs: Pope, Botman, Bamba, Wissa, Thiaw, Steur, Toure, Murphy, Ramsey.

Everton (4-2-3-1): Pickford; O’Brien, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Garner, Armstrong, Dewsbury-Hall; Rohl, Barry, George. Subs: Travers, Maitland-Niles, Dibling, Keane, Johnson, Norgaard, Alcaraz, Hackney, Graham.

Referee: John Brooks (Melton Mowbray)

6.30pm GMT

Preamble Different people are motivated by different stimuli. Some of us need to feel secure to deliver our best work, struggling when put under pressure to perform, while others need provocation to get them going, indignance driving the desire to stop coasting in order to prove people wrong.

Chances are, Thierno Barry falls into the first category. He showed enough at Villarreal to persuade Everton to sign him but then struggled to settle into Premier League rhythm, subbed off 18 times in 21 league starts and beginning the other 17 games on the bench and returning a paltry eight goals. It was not an especially auspicious start.

As such, it was no surprise that Everton wanted to sign Folarin Balogun from Monaco – essentially, to go in front of Barry. But that move broke down on deadline day then Joshua Zirkzee, a desperate contingency, stayed at Manchester United – to what end is unclear – meaning, with Beto sold, Barry moved from second-choice to only choice.

Very quickly, crisis turned into fortune. Able to relax in the knowledge there were no options but him, so the chances of him being sub or subbed were minuscule, and no longer dealing with a newborn or playing with the shoulder problem that hampered his debut campaign, Barry looks a different player. He scored on the opening weekend of the season and most recently last Thursday, when Everton binned Newcastle from the League Cup – a contest which featured an affirming ruckus close to full-time. Having bagged seven in 11 appearances, he’s on a roll and will fancy himself to add to that tally this evening – though only bottom-placed Sunderland have managed fewer than his side’s eight league goals.

Newcastle, meantime, will hope to avoid a third Monday-night clattering of the season, already beaten 4-1 at Leeds and Coventry. There have been some good signs under Matthias Jaissle but also some absolute dross, the lack of physicality a particular issue and especially glaring given, until recently, that was a strong point.

Last weekend’s win at Palace, though, has earned a little respite and, with Will Osula given a start and scoring, they too have a centre-forward ready to go – or would have, had he not got injured, again. He’s unlikely to play tonight, exacerbating a pre-existing problem: only two clubs have created fewer than Newcastle’s 14 big chances and, with Jaissle so far unwilling to use the young attackers signed in the summer for anything other than late cameos, there’s no reason to expect things to change.

All of which is to say that this match, 12th v 14th, is unlikely to deliver a goalfest elevated by flowing football. But happily, different people are motivated by different stimuli, and it’s not possible to appreciate English football without enjoying aggression, intensity needle and incompetence – of which there will, without doubt, be plenty to enjoy.

Kick-off: 8pm GMT