Everton come into the penultimate matchday of the Premier League season in 10th place on 49 points, even on points with Chelsea just above them, and four points behind 7th-placed Brighton, who hold down the final guaranteed European slot as things stand.
Even with the loss in London last weekend, the Toffees aren't out of the mix, especially if the Premier League gets another European position.
Unfortunately, Sunderland, who come to Hill Dickinson on Sunday, are just a point behind the Blues in 12th place, and it isn't outside of the realm of possibility that the Black Cats can sneak into Europe with two wins to end the season.
That makes today's match a bit of a six-pointer from a European standpoint, as both sides will need to win to keep hope alive.
So, how will David Moyes respond with his lineup? Let's see if we can figure out how he'll line up the side.
Everton's projected starting XI v Sunderland (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper & Defenders
Jordan Pickford (GK): Against his old side with plenty to play for? Expect England's no.1 to rise to the occasion.
Vitalii Mykolenko (LB): Trai Hume and Granit Xhaka will give the Ukrainian plenty to think about, so he'll need to maintain his defensive effort.
Michael Keane (CB): This pairing isn't working, but Moyes won't want to shake things up at this point in the season.
James Tarkowski (CB): Ditto above. Imagine if he let Tark start next to Jake?
Jake O'Brien (RB): Tempted to put Seamus Coleman here, but I'm not sure Moyes will want to give the legend a spot start, even in his final home game (nor would Coleman want it that way).
Midfielders
Tim Iroegbunam (CM): Idrissa Gana Gueye is out again, so it'll be up to Iroegbunam to step in, something he's done decently well in recent weeks, although he is not the same player as the Senegalese.
James Garner (CM): The England international is better with a more astute ball-winner next to him, but he's still a useful player on the ball.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (CAM): Needs to be better than he was last weekend. He's the engine that makes this team go.
Forwards
Iliman Ndiaye (LW): The Senegal international has been a little quiet recently, but that's likely somewhat due to opposing teams being able to focus on him more.
Merlin Rohl (RW): I like having Rohl in the squad, even if it's clear he's not a winger. It's at the expense of other guys like Tyler Dibling and Tyrique George, too, which makes even less sense. Rohl has played well these last two matches, though.
Beto (CF): Was excellent against Palace, and it was a shame he couldn't impact the match even more. Will be looking to score in five of the last six.
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