As Sheffield United look to rebound from a frustrating defeat, Everton hope to avoid their longest Premier League winless run of the season.
These two sides meet up in their penultimate match of the campaign, Monday night at Bramall Lane.
Sheffield (14-12-10) sit eighth in the Premier League table, and could possibly move into sixth place, though they would need to win these final two matches and get help from others around them. However, their immediate concern is to bounce back from a 2-0 loss to Leicester City on Thursday.
The loss ended United's 3-1-0 league run, and left manager Chris Wilder questioning his team's collective passion in the moment.
"I don't know what they have (said) between themselves, but knowing what the players are about, they will be disappointed because it's (the type of effort) we encourage," Wilder said at a recent briefing.
"We weren't competitive enough and made it too easy for Leicester. I don't like to be in a position where have to show a reaction from a defeat, but I am sure the players understand my message that I said to them - for us to compete in this division, we have to do a lot better than on Thursday."
The good news for Sheffield is that they will be at home, where they own an 8-1 goal advantage during a four-match league winning streak. United also should have some confidence that they can complete the double versus Everton after winning 2-0 in the reverse fixture on Sept. 21.
Lys Mousset (six goals in 2019-20) scored in that contest against the Toffees, who have dropped their last two league road contests and are amidst an 0-2-2 stretch within the top-flight overall. It's the third time this season that Everton have gone four consecutive league matches without a win.
Everton (12-10-14), 11th in the table, need to win their final two matches for even a chance to finish in the top-half. However, they seem to be limping down the stretch of the campaign.
In fact, they needed an 87th-minute goal from Theo Walcott to simply salvage a point in a 1-1 finish against lowly Aston Villa at home on Thursday. Everton have been among the Premier League's biggest underachievers in recent seasons, still struggling to become a top-six team on a regular basis. Though manager Carlo Ancelotti believes good times are ahead for his club down the road, he needs to see that spirit and desire in these final two contests to have something to build on for the future.
"What we want (from the final two games) is points," Ancelotti told Everton's official website. "It will be important to show good football and play with that fighting spirit, nothing more.
"We have to jump. We have to move forward. We have to improve. We have to be better next season."
Whilst it's uncertain if Everton will draw any big-name player interest for 2020-21, they still have two of the better offensive players on the league at moment. Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin have combined for 25 league goals this season.