Friday night at the Hill Dickinson Stadium is as much about the past as the table. When David Moyes takes his place in the dugout against Coventry City, it will be his 592nd game in charge of Everton across two spells, which puts him level with Harry Catterick, the man who won the league title twice with the club. Kick-off is at 8pm, and a win would lift Everton above Liverpool into fifth.
A landmark Moyes would rather talk about later
Moyes, 63, told Sky Sports that making that many games is "quite a big thing", and he spoke warmly about Catterick and Howard Kendall, names he says Evertonians still talk about. But the manager's eyes are on what comes next. "I would just like to get the trophies those boys have got," he said. Everton are into the Carabao Cup quarter-finals, where Fleetwood await, and he admitted every supporter wants a cup run after so long without one.
It has been a better autumn than the summer suggested. Moyes conceded Everton had a difficult window after selling Iliman Ndiaye and missing out on some late signings, yet they sit seventh. Monday's win over Newcastle showed the side he has built: Everton won 64 per cent of their duels, the highest figure by any team in a Premier League game this season. He has also given 19-year-old Harrison Armstrong nine starts from nine.
Lampard's Coventry are no pushovers
The visitors arrive with momentum, which would have sounded unlikely a month ago. Coventry lost to Arsenal, Hull, Manchester City and Brighton early on, the 5-0 defeat by Brighton included, and Taiwo Awoniyi was sent off in that game. Since then Frank Lampard has tinkered. He matched Nottingham Forest's back three to win 1-0 at the City Ground after a 3-1 Carabao Cup loss to Aston Villa, then beat Sunderland 3-1 on Saturday. Three wins in five have lifted them out of the relegation zone.
The numbers point to a team learning pragmatism. Coventry had 68.5 per cent of the ball in their 1-0 home defeat by Hull but only 42.6 per cent against Sunderland, and their passes in the final third dropped from 128 to 60. They still have the lowest expected goals total in the league at 8.34, and captain Matt Grimes has been benched, a decision the club says has been understood. Lampard keeps repeating that relaxation is the biggest danger.
What to expect and our prediction
Expect Everton to press hard and win second balls, and Coventry to sit compact and look for a break. Both managers are comfortable with that kind of game. Coventry's next three fixtures are Crystal Palace, Leeds away and Ipswich, a run the club considers crucial, so there is little reason for them to gamble here. My lean is a narrow Everton win, 1-0 or 2-1, on a night when the home crowd will have a milestone to sing about. A draw would not shock me.
Match facts: Everton v Coventry City, Premier League, Friday 6 November 2026, kick-off 8pm, Hill Dickinson Stadium. Moyes' 592nd game in charge of Everton equals Harry Catterick's club record. Everton are seventh; Coventry have won three of their last five.
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