Match Preview
Everton travel to the Capital for the first time this season to take on Brentford with Sean Dyche and his men still looking for their first win of the Premier League campaign.
The Blues were beaten at home for the third time last week when they went down 1-0 to title-chasing Arsenal and thus far, the only point they have picked up has been on the road at Sheffield United.
There were plenty of positive aspects about Everton’s attacking display at Bramall Lane and Dyche will be hoping to build on those at the Gtech Community Stadium in the televised Saturday evening game.
The manager finally has two fit centre-forward options from which to choose now that Dominic Calvert-Lewin is fit again and though Beto started last weekend against the Gunners, Dyche has the option of rotating his strikers or even deploying them together in a 4-4-2.
In his press conference at Finch Farm yesterday, Dyche hinted that he might not have the midfield personnel to pull off a twin-striker formation and Beto’s pace on the counter-attack might give him the edge over Calvert-Lewin who looked a little ring rusty coming off the bench last Sunday.
In terms of other attacking outlets, the trip to London comes too soon for Jack Harrison who isn’t quite fit enough to make his debut but turned out for the Under-21s this evening to get some minutes under his belt which means Dwight McNeil, Arnaut Danjuma and Abdoulaye Doucouré are likely to round out the forward four ahead of Amadou Onana and Idrissa Gueye.
Seamus Coleman remains some way off being available and André Gomes, who failed to secure a move away during the summer transfer window, has been struggling with injury and is also ruled out.
Brentford, meanwhile, will be without one of their more effective players in Rico Henry who is expected to be out for the remainder of the season after suffering a serious knee injury. Ivan Toney is still working through his long suspension, midfielder Mikkel Damsgaard is doubtful while Neal Maupay is ineligible to face his parent club.
Thomas Frank is able to welcome back Kristoffer Ajer, though, following his recovery from injury as the 11th-place Bees look to win for the first time since their 3-0 triumph at Fulham 19th August, with two home draws and a narrow defeat at Newcastle since.
The last time these two sides met in this fixture, Everton will have felt as though they could have won under Frank Lampard took but home a valuable point. This time, if they can go one step farther and collect all three points, they could significantly lighten the mood at the club and relieve the enormous pressure that would be on the two upcoming home games against Luton and Bournemouth.
Kick-off: 5:30pm, Saturday 23 September, 2023
Referee: Michael Oliver
VAR: Graham Scott
Last Time: Brentford 1 – 1 Everton
Predicted Line-up: Pickford, Young, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko, Gueye, Onana, McNeil, Danjuma, Doucouré, Beto