Toffee were a little lucky in the last round. During the tough December marathon they got five whole days of rest, as the match of the last round against Manchester City was canceled due to the outbreak of coronavirus in the squad of the citizens. So, they approach the confrontation with the hammer-fighters well-rested and with great motivation. Liverpool lost points in the match against Newcastle the day before, so Everton has a chance to close the gap from the first meta to a minimum. Now Carlo Ancelotti’s team is in fourth place. They have 29 points on the balance sheet and are four points behind Leaver. In general, in the last rounds the Lersisiders have added great. Their winning streak is currently four in a row. During this period Everton have been successful in the games against Chelsea (1:0), Leicester (2:0), Arsenal (2:1) and Sheffield United (1:0). Let’s note the reliable defense of the Ancelotti team during the specified period, they have only one conceded ball. As for the attack, only in one home match the “toffee” did not score, while in four out of seven matches they distinguished at least twice in their home arena. There are few personnel losses at Everton. Allan Marquez, James Rodriguez, Luca Dinh, Fabian Delph and Jean-Philippe Gbamen are missing the match due to injuries.
The Knicks started the regular season with two defeats in a row, but then managed to beat Milwaukee and Cleveland. The key to winning was the phenomenal realization of long-range shots (under 60%). The team from New York does not like to defend, but against the Cavaliers, who did not know defeats before the match with the Knicks, they conceded only 86 points. New York’s starting lead of 14 points was enough for the final victory. The victory over the Bucks and the Cavaliers were more of a coincidence. The Knicks are not a playoff team. Today the main star in the team is Randle, who consistently hits 23+ points, but this does not cease to be a trash scorer. The bosses of the team do not set specific tasks for the charges, which means that New York will continue to roll from victories to defeats until the end of the regular season. The Knicks earned their winnings rather in spite of, but 3 times in a row such a percentage of long-range shots is unlikely to happen.
