Tuesday night's encounter between Everton and Bournemouth sees two of the Premier League's form sides – both unbeaten in their last five – meet at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Everton have lost just once since Christmas, a run that has coincided with striker Thierno Barry finding his shooting boots. The former France Under-21 international found the net just once in his first 20 appearances for the Toffees following a £27m move from Villarreal but has shown his worth recently with four in his last eight – only three players have scored more since Christmas.
Another summer signing enjoying something of a purple patch is midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who also has four goals in his last eight league appearances, as many as he scored in his first 82 games in the division.
Fine margins for Moyes' men
David Moyes' side, currently in eighth position with faint hopes of a push for the European spots, could perhaps have done with a little more luck to turn some of their recent draws into wins.
They've hit the woodwork 11 times in the league this season, with only Manchester United (18) and Newcastle (14) doing so more often. Indeed, Everton have hit the bar or the post in four of their last five league games.
Everton's home form has been consistently inconsistent this season, with four wins, four draws and four losses at their new stadium. A 1-0 win at the Vitality Stadium in December means they are looking to complete the league double over Bournemouth for the very first time.
Moyes also has a strong record against this opposition, with five wins and four draws in his 10 top-flight meetings with the Cherries – among sides he's faced 10 or more times in the competition, he has only lost a lower percentage against Sunderland and Birmingham City.
Cherries on the climb
Only Manchester United and Chelsea can boast a better points tally in the last five games than Andoni Iraola's Bournemouth, who have moved from 15th to 11th place since the turn of the year.
Teenage forward Rayan, a £24.7m January arrival from Vasco da Gama, has made an immediate impact. The Brazil Under-20 international followed up an assist for Alex Scott on his debut with the equaliser in last week's 1-1 draw with Aston Villa, making him the youngest South American to register goal involvements in each of his first two Premier League appearances.
Iraola's fresh-faced team – all three of Bournemouth's youngest-ever top-flight starting XIs have come in the past five months – have been playing with an energy recently that has resulted in three stoppage-time goals since January.
Trips to Merseyside have not proven fruitful for the Cherries though, with just two wins in a combined 17 league visits to Everton and Liverpool. Troublingly for Iraola, not one of those games has seen them keep a clean sheet.
The long midweek trip north from the Dorset coast could also take its toll on Bournemouth; they've won just one of their last eight league games to take place on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, though that victory did come in their last such match against Spurs in January.
