Everton will be bidding to end any threat of a negative club record when they face Manchester City on New Year's Eve.
Frank Lampard is coming under increasing pressure at Goodison Park with the Toffees still lingering just above the Premier League relegation zone.
After losing in the final seconds versus Wolverhampton Wanderers on Boxing Day, Everton have now suffered three successive defeats in the top flight.
Their previous two setbacks came against fellow bottom-half-of-the-table rivals in Leicester City and Bournemouth, while they were also thrashed in the EFL Cup by Bournemouth before those latest losses.
Lampard and his Everton side now have the unenviable task of making the trip to a Man City side who have won seven of their eight home games in the Premier League this season.
Although Everton make the journey east to face arguably the toughest fixture of their season with just four away defeats in eight outings, they have posted just one win on the road this campaign.
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City currently possess an 11-match unbeaten record versus the Merseyside outfit at their home ground, a period which has included seven wins and four draws.
However, when taking games at Goodison Park into consideration, Everton have lost nine league fixtures in a row against their upcoming opponents.
Only against Portsmouth between 1947 and 1956 have Everton lost more times (13) to the same opponent in league matches in a row in their entire history.
Everton are also bidding to avoid losing 13 league matches on their travels in a calendar year for the first time since 1999, but there is at least one statistic that is in their favour.
The Toffees are unbeaten in their most recent six outings on New Year's Eve, although it should be noted that their last game on this day came in 2005.
Darren Plant
