Everton vs Brentford: Sunday 4th January

Everton will be aiming to shake off their New Year woes as they host Brentford at Hill Dickinson Stadium. With contrasting team performances leading into this Premier League showdown on Sunday, January 4, kick-off at 15:00 GMT, an intriguing match is anticipated with plenty at stake for both sides.

Everton’s Recent Rally Against the Bees

Rewind to the 2021-22 season and Brentford seemed to have Everton’s number, claiming victories in their first two top-flight encounters. But times—and Toffees—change, and since then, Everton have since tilted the scales in their favour. In the subsequent six league meetings, they have gone unbeaten against Thomas Frank’s side, chalking up three wins and three draws. The head-to-head now feels much less like an away-day welcome for Brentford and more like a stiff Merseyside examination.

For those keeping score, Everton’s run includes a resilient stretch that’s brought both defiance in defence and, on occasion, flashes of clinical finishing. Their recent habit of holding Brentford at bay on home turf will be a confidence booster, but Everton supporters will be all too aware that their club rarely do things the easy way.

A Dreary New Year Record to Address

Part of Everton’s not-so-secret kryptonite of late is their annual struggle when ringing in the New Year through football. The numbers make for particularly cold reading: Everton have lost their first league match of the year in seven of the last eight campaigns, drawing the other. The last time the blue side of Merseyside tasted victory in their opening fixture was all the way back in 2017, with Southampton paying the price at Goodison Park.

That January allergy is symbolic of broader inconsistencies that have bogged Everton down in recent campaigns—bursting with optimism one moment, left cursing missed chances the next. The Toffees have gone W-D-D-L-W across their most recent fixtures, with the hope that their Sunday matinee proves more “W” than “L”.

Scoring Woes Continue for Everton

Life in front of goal has rarely looked so bleak for Everton. They’re averaging just 3.1 shots on target per league match—their lowest rate since records began in 1997-98. For fans hoping that attack-minded football and fireworks come with New Year's resolutions, the recent data suggests patience might remain the order of the day. While the defence has at times compensated, the Toffees will know that the goal-shy spell threatens to derail ambitions of a steady mid-table finish or push for Europe.

David Moyes’ Brentford Challenge

David Moyes, now at the Everton helm once again, brings significant Premier League experience to proceedings. His personal record against Brentford has been mixed, to say the least. Moyes has lost five of his seven top-flight meetings with the Bees. However, there have been signs of a tactical reorientation: his last two encounters are unbeaten—a 4-2 win with West Ham in February 2024 and a gritty 1-1 draw in his return spell at Everton in February 2025.

Moyes is expected to deploy a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Thierno Barry leading the line. Everton’s supporters will watch closely for an attacking spark, hoping Barry can help light the fuse beneath what has occasionally looked a flat frontline.

Brentford’s Away-Day Puzzle

Brentford, by contrast, puffed up their feathers on their Premier League travels to Everton at first. A dramatic 3-2 win at Goodison Park in May 2022 saw them announce themselves in style. But as fans of ‘difficult second albums’ will testify, consistency on the road has since proved elusive. In three attempts since then, Brentford have failed to register a single goal on Merseyside, drawing one match and losing two. It’s a stark reversal for Thomas Frank’s side, who started their Premier League journey with bold intent but now find themselves looking for answers—and goals—in away fixtures.

This season, Brentford’s away record offers little comfort. They’ve lost on the road seven times already—only Wolves fare worse in that particular metric—which is nearly as many away defeats as in the entire previous campaign (2024-25). The trend underlines a dip in results and resilience when away from their West London home.

Frank is expected to stick with a 4-3-3 shape, with a lively-looking attacking trio of Igor Thiago, Kevin Schade, and Keane Lewis-Potter. Their task will be not just to break their duck on Merseyside, but to set the right tone for an away resurgence as the second half of the season unfolds.

Key Battles and Tactical Intrigue

While goals have proved hard to come by for both sides in this fixture in recent times, Sunday’s contest is rich with subplots. Can Everton’s back line hold firm against Brentford’s pacy front three? Will Barry find the space and service he needs to make the difference for Moyes? And—familiar January story though it may be—can Everton turn the page on a wretched New Year opening record?

For Brentford, the challenge is as much psychological as tactical. The longer their Merseyside goal drought continues, the more it may weigh on a squad eager to prove their top-flight credentials once again. This fixture looks set to be keenly contested in midfield, where Brentford’s engine room will look to seize control against an unpredictable Everton side.

What’s at Stake?

With the season’s midpoint fast approaching, both clubs are desperate for momentum. Everton need three points to keep distance from the relegation quicksand and prove that lessons from past January stumbles have been learned. Brentford, on the other hand, must arrest their alarming away form before it saps the confidence built at home.

While recent head-to-head trends lend some optimism to Everton, football’s calendar has a knack for pitting the superstitious against the statistical. As both sides eye a strong start to 2026, Sunday’s clash suggests tension, tight margins, and, just maybe, a New Year’s surprise on Merseyside. Fans could do worse than keep the kettle warm—because this may come down to the final moments, as yet another chapter is written in the unpredictable rivalry between these two Premier League sides.