Leicester City vs Everton

Match Preview

Everton’s quest for their first points of the season takes them to Leicester this weekend for a fixture that has already taken in outsize significance following the Blues’ dreadful start to the season.

With four straight Premier League defeats to start the campaign and the worst record of any team in Europe’s top five leagues being compounded by the hugely disappointing exit in the Carabao Cup on penalties to Southampton, Sean Dyche’s tenure is arguably at its lowest ebb since he took charge of the Club at the end of January 2023.

And the manager’s attempts to steady the ship and find that elusive first win that would massively improve the mood are not helped by the fact that his aleady small squad continues to be stretched, although he looks likely to be able to welcome at least three players back from those that missed Tuesday’s cup tie.

James Tarkowski came through training today without a reaction to the minor injury that meant he was left out of the Carabao Cup defeat to Southampton and both Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Vitalii Mykolenko appear to over their illnesses.

However, Dyche explained in his pre-match press conference that James Garner was still absent from training with the same bug and Jack Harrison left the session early after feeling unwell which makes him a doubt for the weekend.

Meanwhile, Idrissa Gueye will miss the game as well following the death of his father. That will leave the Blues short in central midfield where Orel Mangala has just one game under his belt since joining from Lyon.

Elsewhere in defence, Michael Keane has undergone a scan on an unspecified injury after the Southampton match and Seamus Coleman is now set for an extended spell on the sidelines as he continues to be treated for an ankle problem that was more serious than initially hoped.

If the former is ruled out, it would mean a Premier League debut for Jake O’Brien, with Ashley Young the obvious choice to play righrt-back despite another encouraging display from Roman Dixon on Tuesday evening.

There is light at the end of the tunnel where Jarrad Branthwaite and Nathan Patterson are concerned, however, with both set to feature for the Under-21s this weekend as they take their final steps in their rehabilitation following surgery.

This will be the first meeting between Everton and Leicester since the 2-2 draw between the two clubs in May last year, a result that proved decisive in terms of the relegation battle that year. Jordan Pickford’s penalty save that night that prevented James Maddison from putting the Foxes into a 3-1 lead and paved the way for Alex Iwobi to equalise.

Though the likes of Maddison have moved on, Leicester have a number of familiar faces in their ranks, not least Jamie Vardy who, despite being 37, is still scoring break-away goals like the one he scored at Crystal Palace last weekend in a 2-2 draw.

They still have a number of players from their last season in the top flight, Wilfried Ndidi, Wout Faes, James Justin and Patson Daka among them together with ex-Tottenham midfelders Harry Winks and Oliver Skipp and ex-Everton defender Conor Coady.

Steve Cooper’s side held Spurs to a draw on the opening day and ran Aston Villa close despite losing 2-1 in their last home game so they won’t be the pushovers Evertonians would hope they might be as a newly-promoted outfit.

Key for Dyche will be trying to find some semblance of defensive solidity in a team that has had none so far this season while also fashioning a line-up from those available capable of scoring goals and winning the game.

Kick-off: 3pm, Saturday 21 September, 2024
Referee: Darren England
VAR: Michael Salisbury

Predicted line-up: Pickford, Young, Tarkowski, O’Brien, Mykolenko, Mangala, Doucoure, Lindstrom, McNeil, Ndiaye, Calvert-Lewin