Everton vs Brentford: Preview, Predicted Lineups and Where to Watch

Really?

No.

We can only dream! Why can't we find strikers like that?

Be very careful, Anjishnu, because the robots are on their way in, and if you are not aware of what happens once you let undesirables in, then I honestly don't think that this website has got long left.

Some people have left over the gambling adverts, but I'm sure it's all about content for most people. Quality over quantity, and a little bit of time spent on the personal touch, which is something you have already began to do, and hopefully this website can become what it used to be once again.

A place to argue, a place to both agree or disagree, but more than anything, a place where we can at times be educated, by so many of the interesting posters who populate, or used to populate this website.

That is the only reason I can think of for Davey's evasiveness! I would like to think he has a duty to us fans to keep us fully informed. This club plays such large part in many of our lives.

Whether Alcaraz or Keane are available for this one (we don't know!), I would still like to see the same team that started at Forest, with only Grealish starting instead of Röhl.

Hopefully, Dibling will keep his place on the right with Patterson keeping his place behind him. I'm not a Patterson fan (he should've been replaced this summer) but he should start to keep our shape, with O'Brien at centre-back and McNeil as our Number 10, which is by far his best position.

Pickford
Patterson Tarkowski O'Brien Mykolenko
Garner Iroegbunam
Dibling McNeil Grealish
Barry

So pretty much the predicted team from Anjishnu (haha) but with the formation I suggested regardless of Alcaraz's and Keane's availability.

Röhl, in my opinion, is well off the Premier League place. A young lad playing in Germany is great at their pace. I've watched him and he's still in that mindset.

Premier League is much faster and players can't take an extra touch or dwell on the ball. Hopefully he'll see the light?

Moyes in his presser hinted that Keane of the current absentees may be the only one to make the squad. If so, you couldn't rule out Keane starting and O'Brien returning to right-back. That would certainly split opinion.

He probably should leave the defence as per Forest, then at least he can change it if it's not working.

There's a possibility he could play O'Brien at right-back, with McNeil on the right-wing and Röhl as a Number 10. God, I hope not though!

Best news possible.

Ndiaye's twisted ankle turned out to be nothing serious and Senegal reported he would be back in training today.

They play Sudan tomorrow.

He's fully game-fit, having played 78 minutes against Wrexham on Monday -- but I'm sure Moyes won't do that.

The sooner we get back to the relegation battles, the sooner TWebbers will come out of hiding!

ps: Not signing a decent striker in this window might just be enough to see the gainsayers return.

He also said that Harrison Armstrong has done well there, but is not ready for the Premier League.

The first idea seems curious, the latter believable. I can't vouch for their veracity.

I still think Barry had a stinker vs Forest until he got the goal and in that he was fortunate that his first touch from Garner's pass bounced forward into his path. That being said, he did take the goal well but for me there is very little difference between Barry and Beto.

As his former club, he's keen also to see Preston get promoted & thinks Armstrong will be valuable. Presumably that can be done as soon as Ndiaye and Gueye return.

It's been a difficult time for the Bees since the end of last season. Losing an outstanding leader like Thomas Frank and many of the coaching staff and then the backbone of the team in Norgaard, Flekken, Mbeumo and Wissa, having to bring in new players who fit the culture of the club and appoint an untested coach but Brentford are over-achieving again and doing what they do best...proving the assorted army of ex-player rent-a-gob, media tarts and clueless experts on vast salaries wrong again.

We were told that they were odds-on for relegation... just like the previous 4 seasons... but so far, despite a few set-backs, it has been mainly positive progress with some outstanding home performances. Keith Andrews is learning quickly and, while not as gung-ho as Thomas Frank, seems to be enjoying himself.

The problem is of course a small squad. Brentford are always in the bottom three of Premier League clubs in terms of turnover, wage bill and players available. They find 3 matches in 8 days hard, especially with some important players like Thiago, Jensen and Damsgaard carrying injuries.

I think it will be a tight game but fancy an Everton win. The Bees looked a bit jaded v Spurs on Thursday and there is little recovery time. I'll go for 1-0 to the Toffees.

Anyway, I look forward to visiting the new ground. It will make it about 70 grounds now where I've watched Brentford since 1961. Most of this has been in the lower two divisions so just being in the top tier is amazing.

All the best to you for 2026... Everton is one of the few clubs that I still regard as being a proper club rather than a Rip Off The Fans money machine.

We need to be okay with that, though, if we want to progress and become more than the footnote we've been for the last 30 years.

I live in Chiswick by the way, 10 minutes from Brentford, so have a soft spot for the Bees. Just not tomorrow! :-)

I'm not making any great claims for Barry but he has a far better first touch than Beto -- not hard, I know, but that alone guarantees him his place. He can control the ball with his back to goal, moves don't constantly break down at his feet.

Beto does have physical presence but, between the two, I would start Barry every time as his play at least brings other teammates in.

I can't work out whether that was a good second touch he made before he scored against Forest, or whether he just fluked it into his own path. Either way, the finish was good.

Beto, Rohl, Armstrong, Keane, Aznou, Travers, King, and ??. That is a painfully thin substitutes bench.

I am hoping to see Armstrong play at some point.

Welcome, John @18. For a long time, those who constantly criticise David Moyes as a dour (dinosaur) manager for Everton FC have advocated that we should be looking at modern managers like Maresca, Frank, Glasner, Iraola to replace him. They don't seem to be doing so well at the moment...

Not that I see David Moyes here much beyond the 2026-27 season but we should be very careful for what we wish for. Can you imagine if we were bold enough to appoint Keith Andrews as our manager, what the reaction would have been?

Well done to Keith and Brentford but most of all the Brentford scouts and recruiting staff who continually seem to be able to pick up gems at low prices.

Unfortunately, my good wishes end today and hope we can keep the momentum going tomorrow.

I don't know who Barry is going to learn it from at Everton although Grealish knows how to win free kicks when getting tackled and Tarkowski can get him used to hard and rough tackles in training!

It's always good to read your comments on here. Please post your post-match thoughts.

I think Barry is not up to the Premier League, either mentally or physically. The physical side may be developed, as you and Mike Gaynes suggests, but I'm not sure he can toughen up mentally.

This short clip answers many questions. Including John @18 how Brentford have become successful. Why Maresca left Chelsea. How Brighton generate money from continually sourcing good unknowns, turning them into prize assets and more.

What it doesn't address is Moyes's perplexing tactics, choices, lack of substitutes. Or why Everton are so shit in the transfer market and finding players for positions that have needed filling for decades.

For this, I believe the crooked regime and bin bags of cash hold the answer.

Fair minded fans are always welcomed on here and on most teams websites, I imagine.

Were Brentford in the old First Division right after the Second World War? A bit before your time and mine, but I'm sure they were... although not when I first went to see the Blues in 1948. I definitely saw them in 1953, our promotion year.

I hope you enjoy your visit tomorrow but not too much!

Let's hope that Barry or Beto have their shooting boots on and we gain a win and stay challenging at the top end of the Premier League.

Fair enough but I remember Sharp in a programme or football article comparing himself to Steve McMahon saying he wasn't tough like him on or off the field when it came to an aggressive nature.

As we get older, I think we can adapt and change our ways. Although Barry does seem to have a passive and reserved nature, maybe he's just well-mannered.

No easy games, however, and Brentford (as pointed out by John) are finding ways to exceed many people's expectations.

I'm confident we have a couple more players who can produce the required moments of magic, so I'm happy to go along with John's prediction of 1-0 for us. UTFT!

That Liverpool paid £125M for Isak while Everton paid £32M for Barry. Isak has scored 3 goals and Barry 2. Excuse for Isak not getting the same kind of service as he got at Newcastle.

That Chelsea have spent hundreds of millions on players and yet haven't finished better than 4th and gone through 4 managers in the process. Excuse -- the players didn't know how to play as a team.

What I take from that is that, if Moyes could have the backing of the data but have the last say on player character and fit he could finally get through his glass ceiling.

As for the game -- I think Brentford are a good outfit and will give us a good game. One way or another, I can't see either team getting a clean sheet. I think we might just edge it.

Happy to admit that I was right with the gobs, tarts and clueless in expecting the Bees to face the drop with all you lost in the summer, and delighted to be proven wrong.

Congratulations on not only staying up but remaining solidly mid-table once again.

No one company is named. And the video describes how analytics are changing football... not destroying it.

As for Everton's performance in this area, one of the first things TFG did after hiring Kinnear was to acquire a data analytics company and add the company's founder to the recruiting team. Seems like there's a commitment to catch up in an area where we appear to have been years behind.

I won't be watching as it will be 4 am in New Zealand and I am on my holidays. Apologies for the lack of commitment.

Are you the James I bumped into on the way to the Celtic game in Sydney? My apologies, strange how you often only know guys you played with by either their first names or their nicknames. I never knew your surname (assuming you're who I'm thinking of).

Let's hope either of them prove us wrong this afternoon.

I've given up making predictions of our games, it's hard to judge which version of us will turn up on the day.

Dewsbury-Hall is still injured and is a very important player for us. Apart from him, and Ndiaye being in Africa, I don't think we will miss the others too much.

I see there are some posters drifting back on site, its no wonder because its still the most sensible site around.

Welcome back on TW. Your comments the last time you came on were very fair. I just wish there was a way of hearing the views of opposing supporters on this site.

Brentford give nobody an easy game and I am expecting a tough combinative game with very little between the teams.

Hope you enjoy your visit to our new stadium – as some have said, the prices inside the stadium have risen considerably since we have left Goodison.

Your old boss seems to be getting a tough ride from the Spurs fans but I always liked Thomas Frank, and he usually tells it as it is rather than make it sound as if you have watched a different game – like many managers make it sound after a loss.

Yes, I'm at the stage now, because of the depleted squad, where I don't really care how we win as long as we get those 3 points.

When the players regroup after Afcon and the January transfer window, I'm hoping to see much better performances to go along with gathering the points in -- and we still have an interest in the FA Cup!

If that is true, Rohl could be the one to play left-back. It's a position he's played at Frieburg before.

Hopefully Garner won't be moved there from midfield where he's thriving at the moment.

I hope it stays that way, especially for fans like yourself who have made long journeys.

I hope you go home with a big smile on your face after another three points in the bag!

I'd be reluctant to give Moyes and this transfer team any money for players as only Dewsbury-Hall has looked the part.