Everton are "too big of a club" to be fighting against relegation, so says David Moyes.
The Toffees stayed up by the skin of their teeth in 2022-23, a year after they secured their Premier League status with just a game to spare under Frank Lampard.
Points deductions led to a pressurised 2023-24 campaign, though Sean Dyche did steer Everton clear of danger, and his replacement Moyes, who took over for his second stint in charge in January 2025, then secured a 13th-place finish last term.
Moyes went into the season, which is Everton's first at their new home at Hill Dickinson Stadium, suggesting European qualification was a potential stretch target, and with 13 games remaining, his team sit eighth, just two points behind sixth-place Liverpool.
Ahead of hosting Bournemouth on Tuesday, Moyes said: "This club should never have been in that position. It is too big, too strong of a club.
“We should be talking about the other end of the league. I'm now thinking we have to keep growing and getting away from the feeling of being a club at the bottom.
"I'd rather the talk be about European places and not relegation places. Probably the history of the club recently has been relegation places.
"At the moment, we have a long way to go, but if you hang in with the teams above us, you just never know."
Everton were regulars in Europe during Moyes' first stint in charge between 2002 and 2013, though the Toffees have played continental football just twice since the Scot left for Manchester United.
They reached the last 16 of the Europa League in 2014-15, but failed to make it out of the group stage in 2017-18.
With Jack Grealish expected to miss the rest of the season due to injury, one player crucial to Everton's hopes of ending the campaign on a high note is Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
The midfielder, who signed from Chelsea in the summer, scored Everton's equaliser against Fulham on Saturday, before setting up their winner when his corner was diverted in by Bernd Leno.
Only Grealish (eight) betters Dewsbury-Hall's seven league goal involvements for Everton this term.
"Absolutely [he's reached my expectations]," Moyes said of Dewsbury-Hall. "He said he would score me goals, so we've certainly not been disappointed with him. We've been so, so pleased with him.
"He was a huge miss for us in December and January. I hope he keeps doing it. I think he's still got a little bit to do to get to where he was [before the injury]. But he's picked himself up well, and he's going well."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Everton - Thierno Barry
Barry has scored three goals in his last five home Premier League appearances for Everton, having not scored in seven beforehand.
The forward last scored in consecutive home league appearances in May 2024 for FC Basel at St Jakob-Park.
Bournemouth - Rayan
Bournemouth's new signing Rayan scored their equaliser against Aston Villa on Saturday.
Rayan is the sixth different South American player to either score or assist in each of his first two Premier League appearances, and is the youngest to do so.
MATCH PREDICTION: EVERTON WIN
Bournemouth are looking for back-to-back away Premier League victories for the first time since February 2025, while they last had consecutive clean sheets on the road in December 2023.
Following their 1-0 win at the Vitality Stadium in December, Everton are looking to complete the league double over Bournemouth for the very first time.
Bournemouth have lost six of their eight away league games against Everton, though they did come from 2-0 down to win this exact fixture 3-2 last season. They also won the final FA Cup game at Goodison Park, beating the Toffees 2-0 in February of last year.
Everton have won both of their Premier League games on a Tuesday this season, including a 1-0 win at Bournemouth in December.
They last won three consecutive Tuesday games between March 2014 and December 2016, while they last did so in the same season back in 1992-93.
Everton's away form has been excellent, but they have won just eight points in their last eight Premier League home matches (W2 D2 L4), as many as they took in their first four games this season at Hill Dickinson Stadium (W2 D2).
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Everton - 43.3%
Draw - 26.7%
Bournemouth - 30%