Optimism abounds at Goodison Park all of a sudden. The weight of pressure upon Sean Dyche has lifted after Everton stitched together a four-match unbeaten run, which has taken the Toffees three points clear of the relegation zone. As Marco Silva mentioned in the run-up to this intriguing fixture, the grand old team’s great ground can be a cauldron of noise and remains one of the most intimidating places to play in the country. The Fulham boss knows all too well how that can work both for and against you, having been sacked by Everton in December 2019 after a heavy defeat in the Merseyside derby saw them drop into the bottom three.

Dyche has steadied the ship somewhat after an inauspicious start to the new season. Everton’s final campaign at Goodison before the move to Bramley Dock began with four damaging defeats – and thirteen goals against. The wily old campaigner knows all about escapology having established Burnley as a Premier League outfit during his Turf Moore tenure and, despite being hamstrung by a lack of funds after takeovers fell through, delivered points by going back to his first principles and making the Toffees tough to beat.

They drew with Leicester City before coming from behind to beat Crystal Palace through two Dwight McNeil strikes and eased to victory at Ipswich Town, with Iliman Ndiaye and Michael Keane on target at Portman Road to secure Everton’s first away league success since December. Dyche’s battlers then frustrated Newcastle United at L4 – with Jordan Pickford saving former Everton winger Anthony Gordon’s spot-kick – and the grounds for optimism are obvious. Dyche insists his side don’t fear Fulham and that they are looking up rather than down the table.

After keeping consecutive clean sheets, the Blues are boosted by Jarrad Branthwaite’s return from a thigh injury but it is far from certain that the cultured Cumbrian centre half will replace either Keane or Tarkowski in Dyche’s back four. Keeping faith with a winning team would also see veteran Anthony Young continue to keep out Nathan Patterson at right back and Abdoulaye Doucoure remain in the engine room. Jesper Lindstrom is available again after illness, but Jack Harrison will likely remain on the right wing, whilst there’s no doubt the magnificent McNeill will pose a potent threat to Fulham’s hopes of bouncing back from last weekend’s derby at the hands of Aston Villa.

Silva seethed at a lack of consistency from his side after they managed to throw away the dream start to that game. He will have to replace Joachim Andersen in the back four after the Danish defender was sent off in the second half on Saturday. Issa Diop is likely to come in despite scoring an own goal with his first touch after coming off the bench at Craven Cottage, whilst the Portuguese head coach will have to wrestle with how to set up his midfield against a combative Everton side after Villa ruthlessly exposed the lack of Sasa Lukic in the Fulham line-up.

Sander Berge certainly didn’t have his best game against the Villains, but the Norwegian – outstanding on international duty against Slovakia – should be cut some slack having become so close to the late George Baldock during their time together at Sheffield United. Andreas Pereira hasn’t been the best fit in the deeper central midfield position since Joao Palhinha’s departure and compounded the misery with a woeful penalty with the Villa game level, whilst Emile Smith Rowe seemed overwhelmed as the tide turned against the Whites – with the club’s record signing often too deep to cause Villa too much trouble.

A rejig featuring Harrison Reed feels in order, but Silva has remained loyal to the under-par Pereira this term. Ex-Evertonian Alex Iwobi could be drafted into a central area, but the Nigerian international has down an excellent job out wide for the Whites so far this season, with his work rate and creativity coming to the fore, whilst loanee Reiss Nelson has to be getting closer to a first league start after several strong cameos off the bench. Getting more numbers into the final third to support the red hot Raul Jimenez has to be a priority. The rejuvenated Mexican veteran has scored ten times in his last twelve league starts and could become the first Fulham player to score or assist in six successive Premier League outings this afternoon.

Having much he protests otherwise, Silva will want to say goodbye to Goodison Park with another win. Fulham’s wretched record on the blue half of Merseyside since the victory that kick-started their incredible run to the FA Cup final as a Second Division side almost half a century ago has been consigned to the past in the Silva era. Four consecutive victories – if you include the penalty shoot-out success that saw Tosin Adarabioyo keep his cool from twelve yards to send the Whites into the League Cup semi-final – mean that the Cottagers should travel in good heart, with Iwobi and Antonee Robinson, who began his career on Everton’s books, also in excellent form.

Beating Dyche’s buoyant outfit will require the Whites to match the home side’s intensity and application from the off as well as being more clinical in the final third. The early-evening kick off should be a fascinating watch and how Silva’s side bounce back from the Villa defeat should tell us plenty about their prospects for the remainder of the season.

MY FULHAM XI (4-2-3-1): Leno; Tete, A. Robinson, Diop, Bassey; Berge, Reed; Traore, Iwobi, Smith Rowe; Jimenez. Subs: Benda, Castagne, Sessegnon, King, Cairney, Pereira, Wilson, Nelson, Muniz.