Premier League: Tottenham Hotspur v Everton match preview

A look ahead to this weekend's Premier League fixture at White Hart Lane

Everton are still without Steven Pienaar as they face his old club, Tottenham Hotspur (Getty Images)

Tottenham will look to bounce back from their disappointing 2-2 Europa League draw with Basel as they welcome Everton to White Hart Lane in Sunday’s TV game. Both teams are looking to make a return to Europe’s premier club competition next season and desperately need a win to keep pressure on neighbouring teams.

Spurs will have to deal with the blow that is the absence on Gareth Bale. The Welsh flyer, who leads the club’s scoring charts with 17 league goals this season, sustained a nasty looking ankle injury in the dying moments of Thursday night’s game and will definitely miss out.

Everton meanwhile will be Steven Pienaar against one of his previous employers. The 31-year-old South African endured an unhappy and injury-plagued 18 month at the Lane, returning to Goodison Park on loan in January 2012 before sealing a permanent £4.5million return last July.

The fixture should be dramatic if the corresponding match was anything to go by; Everton scored twice in the last 3 minutes to snatch a vital win away from Spurs in a 2-1 victory in December.

KICK-OFF: Sunday, 4pm

PAST THREE MEETINGS:

Everton 2 (Jelavic, Pienaar) Tottenham 1 (Dempsey), Premier League, December 2012

Everton 1 (Jelavic) Tottenham 0, Premier League, March 2012

Tottenham 2 (Lennon, Assou-Ekotto), Everton 0, Premier League, January 2012

STATS:

In games without Gareth Bale, Spurs have won 8 of 14 matches in the Premiership since 2010-11 (57%), and 45 of 93 (48%) with him in the team.

The Toffees had the best record in the league for March. They won all 3 games, scoring six and being breached just once.

Spurs have scored 22 at home this season, the worst of any team in the top half.

Everton have managed to salvage 21 points from losing positions in the league this season, second only to Manchester United with 27.

Tottenham have scored first in 61% of league games this season, a figure second only to Chelsea (63%).

ODDS:

Tottenham to win: 0.91

Everton to win: 3.2

Draw: 2.4

CLASSIC MATCH:

Tottenham 4 Everton 3, (White Hart Lane), Premier League, January 2003:

A memorable battle in which the lead switched hands multiple times. Brian McBride opened the scoring only for Gus Poyet to equalise, with Robbie Keane then firing home to give Spurs the lead. The Irishman repeated the trick with his second after Steve Watson had levelled for Everton, and despite Tomasz Radzinski evening the scores for the third time in the match, Keane sealed his hat-trick with an 83rd minute winner.

TV: Live on Sky Sports 1 at 4pm, highlights on BBC1 at 10.25pm