Match Preview
With the transfer window now closed, Everton make their second trip away from Goodison Park of the new season when they to Sheffield United for the lunchtime Saturday kick-off.
The Blues come into the game again sitting on the bottom of the Premier League with no points and no goals but some heart will have been taken from new attacking signings Beto and Arnaut Danjuma opening their accounts against Doncaster Rovers in the Carabao Cup in midweek.
Everton recovered from a horrendous first-half display against the side sitting in last place among the EFL’s 72 clubs to overturn a 1-0 deficit thanks to Danjuma’s late winner and Sean Dyche will be hoping to use it as a small platform on which to build some momentum in the League.
While it looks as though his squad will be weaker coming out of the window as Alex Iwobi and Neal Maupay finalise moves to West London, Dyche has at least been boosted by the news that Dwight McNeil has resumed full training after recovering from an ankle injury.
The wide man suffered minor ligament damage in the bruising pre-season friendly at Stoke last month and has missed the first four matches of the season but in his press conference at Finch Farm today, Sean Dyche revealed that McNeil has rejoined the rest of the team.
“Dwight’s just back on the grass with our training group,” the manager said. “He’s been on the grass a few days but he’s back with our training group today so he’s another one we’ll have to make a decision on but he’s feeling pretty strong.”
Dominic Calvert-Lewin, meanwhile, is in with a chance of facing his former club despite fracturing his cheekbone almost a fortnight ago at Aston Villa.
The striker was sidelined for the visit of Wolves last weekend as the swelling on his face subsided and he sought an assessment from a London specialist and the good news is that the injury won’t require any surgery.
“There was a minor situation on his sinus area,” Dyche explained, “and it’s delicate, so he’s got to be careful. The good news he’s managed to train through it to keep fit.
“Regarding this weekend, it’s more of a touch-and-go situation. Maybe [he’ll have to wear a mask].”
The other big positive for Dyche and Everton, though, is that Beto made a positive impact following his arrival in a £26m deal on Tuesday and his anticpated full debut on Saturday would reduce the pressure on Calvert-Lewin to rush back and risk contact to his face, even with the protection afforded by a mask.
Vitalii Mykolenko came off with a knock against Doncaster and is a doubt, meaning that Ashley Young is likely to keep his place at left back while Jarrad Branthwaite is expected to return to the side along with James Tarkowski after sitting out the cup game.
With a nominal striker in the line-up and assuming McNeil isn’t risked from the start, Danjuma should shift to wide left with James Garner on the right and the usual trio in the centre of Idrissa Gueye, Amadou Onana and Abdoulaye Doucouré.
Sheffield United’s start to their first season back in the top flight in three years has only been marginally better than Everton’s. They were narrowly beaten by Crystal Palace at home on the opening day and lost by a single goal at Nottingham Forest a week later before being edged at Bramall Lane by Champions Manchester City last time out.
Added to that, they went out of the EFL Cup on Wednesday evening with a defeat to League One Lincoln City on penalties so morale in the Blades’ camp won’t be especially high coming into this.
It’s unlikely to be a classic, with two struggling teams slugging it out for their first points of the season but Dyche will no doubt be hoping that with a genuine striker leading the line, his team will have enough.
Kick-off: 12:30pm, Saturday 2 September, 2023
Referee: Andy Madley
VAR: Simon Hooper
Last Time: Sheffield United 0 – 1 Everton, 26 December 2020
Predicted Line-up: Pickford, Patterson, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Young, Gueye, Onana, Garner, Danjuma, Doucouré, Beto