Match Preview
Everton are back at Goodison Park to host Crystal Palace in the first of two back-to-back home games that they hope will finally yield a first Premier League win of the season.
The Blues have begun 2024-25 the same way they started last season, with a paltry point from the first 15 available but it was on match-week six that they belatedly picked up their first three points with a handsome 3-1 win at Brentford.
Sean Dyche will be hoping for a repeat against London opposition and he will be boosted by the return of at least one key player in the form of Jarrad Branthwaite who is expected to be included in the squad for this weekend’s game after completing his recovery from surgery.
The 22-year-old spent the week before the draw with Leicester in full training and played the full 90 minutes of the Under-23s’ 4-3 win over Sunderland last Sunday.
Now, with another week’s training with the senior side, he is ready to play his first serious minutes of the campaign.
Sean Dyche indicated in his press conference that Branthwaite will be in his thinking for Saturday but did not specify whether he would be ready to start and resume his successful partnership with James Tarkowski.
Nathan Patterson and Seamus Coleman, meanwhile, are unlikely to feature against Palace but the Scot could, perhaps, be considered for the squad to face Newcastle next week.
Patterson played just over an hour for the Under-23s, suggesting that he is not as far along as Branthwaite in terms of his match readiness.
“Jarrad is in front of the curve compared to Patto,” Dyche confirmed in his press conference today. “He is definitely in contention. He has done a lot of background work, he is looking stronger and feeling stronger.
“Patto’s had a much longer period out with quite a serious injury. He’s doing very well at the moment but that’s a longer recovery period.
“Seamus is a bit longer, so too [Armando] Broja. Youssef [Chermiti] is a bit longer too, but we are beginning to look more rounded as a squad.”
Idrissa Gueye and Vitalii Mykolenko will return to the squad after missing the Leicester game due to compassionate leave and illness respectively, although Dyche cautioned that the Senegal international hasn’t trained much during his absence.
That could see Orel Mangala continue in central midfield after an impressive first Premier League start for Everton at the King Power Stadium alongside Abdoulaye Doucouré, who also performed well in the 1-1 draw.
With Mykolenko likely to start at left full-back, Ashley Young is expected to shift to right-back which would free James Garner up to vie with Doucouré, Mangala and Gueye for a starting berth in midfield.
Wide on the right, Jesper Lindstrøm will hope that he has done enough in successive starts against Southampton in the EFL Cup and at Leicester to have convinced the manager that he should keep his place at the expense of Jack Harrison.
The Dane has looked lively and linked up well in attack with the other front three of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Iliman Ndiaye and Dwight McNeil but has lacked a cutting edge in front of goal, squandering some gilt-edged chances to have already opened his account.
Like Everton, Palace are still searching for their first win of the season. Under Oliver Glasner, the Eagles finished last season in blistering form but have found it harder going early in this campaign even of they’ve managed to take a point from two of the so-called “Big 6” already.
A creditable 1-1 draw was secured at Chelsea, they drew 2-2 with Leicester thanks to an injury-time penalty and held Manchester United goalless last time out at Selhurst Park.
Glasner will be without the likes of Cheick Doucouré, Matheus França and Trevoh Chalobah as well as Rob Holding (absent for reasons unknown), but even having lost Michael Olise to Bayern Munich over the summer, he has plenty of talent at his disposal.
At the back, Marc Guehi remains highly sought-after by bigger clubs, Jean-Philippe Mateta is in form and Eberechi Eze poses a constant threat.
Having seen his side humbled by Brighton and Tottenham, throw away points against Bournemouth and Aston Villa and only take one from last weekend’s trip to Leicester, Dyche is in dire need of a victory.
There have been signs that, from an attacking point of view, results shouldn’t be too far away but hopefully the return of Branthwaite will help shore up the defence.
Kick-off: 3pm, Saturday 28 September 2024
Referee: Andy Madley
VAR: Graham Scott
Last time: Everton 1 – 1 Crystal Palace
Predicted Line-up: Pickford, Young, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko, Mangala, Doucouré, Lindstrøm, Ndiaye, McNeil, Calvert-Lewin