Ross Barkley has pledged his support to Everton as they strive to preserve their Premier League status.
With a two-point advantage on Leicester City and Leeds United - who take on West Ham and Tottenham at home respectively - the Blues have safety in their own hands. However, first and foremost they must take care of business against AFC Bournemouth this afternoon (4.30pm) - rather than relying on results elsewhere.
It will be a nervy 90 minutes for Sean Dyche and his players - not to mention those watching at Goodison Park and from afar on TV and social media - while there will be pre-game jitters to contend with for anyone with connections to the blue side of this famous footballing city. Barkley, 29, very much fits the bill in that respect.
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Born in Liverpool, and having progressed through the Everton ranks, Barkley made 179 appearances in two spells at his boyhood side. He's currently playing for OGC Nice in French Ligue 1.
However, it will be all eyes on the UK for Barkley this afternoon as he - and fellow Evertonians - pray Dyche's squad get the job done. But there will, undoubtedly, be plenty of twists and turns throughout the finale.
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Addressing his Twitter followers before kick-off, Barkley said: "F****** come on Everton." He added a blue love heart emoji to his post, which has garnered lots of likes, replies and re-tweets from supporters.
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