Match Preview
Updated Everton’s season resumes on Saturday following a long three-week break as Sean Dyche bids to avoid tying Mike Walker’s unenviable record of 12 matches without registering a victory in the Premier League era.
The Toffees still haven’t won a League game since 16 December but travel to Bournemouth with a mostly fit squad with only Dele Alli, Lewis Dobbin and Arnaut Danjuma likely to be ruled out completely due to injury and lack of fitness.
There are question marks over whether André Gomes has been able to use the three-week break from action to get back to full fitness (although he was pictured in training this week) and while Danjuma also rejoined the squad this week having recovered from the ankle injury he sustained at Fulham two months ago, his manager admitted during his pre-match press conference that the Dutch winger won’t be ready for the trip to Vitality Stadium.
Idrissa Gueye’s readiness will be assessed following his return from international duty with Senegal. The midfielder missed the last two of Everton’s games because of a groin problem but travelled over the break for his country’s games against Gabon and Benin and is expected to be available.
Unfortunately, however, Dobbin has been added to the injury list after what is being described as a freak accident in training at Finch Farm before the international break. There were fears that he could require surgery but the damage to his ankle ligaments has since settled down. The need for full recovery still means he will be unavailable for a number of matches with no timeframe yet established for his return.
There is no date set for Dele’s return from successive surgeries on his quadricep either but Dyche could at least have some options when it comes to selection at right-back seeing as Seamus Coleman came through two friendlies with the Republic of Ireland over the last week.
That part of the pitch has been an issue in recent weeks where Ben Godfrey has performed adequately but his lack of attacking prowess has robbed Everton of potency down that flank. Patterson has struggled to convince Dyche that he can hold down a first-team place which leaves the two veterans Coleman and Ashley Young as potential alternatives.
Whether Coleman can play a third game in such a short space of time remains to be seen so it could be that Young gets the nod there if the manager is apt to make a change in that part of the team.
Up front, it’s the case again of choosing between Beto and Dominic Calvert-Lewin with, perhaps, their respective looks in training over the past three weeks tipping the balance while at right midfield, Jack Harrison has been off form and has opened up the possibility that James Garner could be moved over if Gueye and Amadou Onana are paired together in the middle.
The Cherries, who have had to come back from 2-0 and 3-0 down in their last two home games against Sheffield United and Luton Town respectively, will be without Ryan Fredericks, Marcos Senesi, James Hill and Luis Sinisterra because of injury.
While susceptible at the back, they have attacking threats in the form of Dominic Solanke and Antoine Semenyo, as well as, perhaps, a psychological edge given that they beat the Blues twice at Dean Court last season by an aggregate score of 7-1.
Dyche will, no doubt, be demanding that the players banish the memory of those horror shows under his predecessor prior to the break for the 2022 World Cup and try to recapture the form away from home that won them their last three points way back against Burnley.
Kick-off: 3 pm, Saturday 30 March 2024
Referee: Sam Barrott
VAR: Michael Oliver
Last time: Bournemouth 3-0 Everton
Predicted Line-up: Pickford, Godfrey, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko, Onana, Garner, Harrison, McNeil, Doucouré, Calvert-Lewin