Match Preview
As they look to immediately atone for last weekend’s debacle against Brighton, Everton’s first away game of 2024-25 is a difficult one at Tottenham Hotspur where the Blues won just once in 16 years.
Hopes that Sean Dyche’s side could get off to a flying start were wrecked during that 3-0 reverse in the season opener and the manager’s selection problems have only worsened since the new campaign kicked off.
Ashley Young, Everton’s only fit right-back, is suspended having been shown a red card against the Seagulls and now James Tarkowski, whose pre-season was disrupted by a muscle injury, is a significant doubt for the trip to North London with a recurrence of the complaint.
Virtually ever-present during his first two seasons at Goodison Park, if he fails a late fitness test having not trained so far this week, the usually-dependable centre-half will be a huge miss given that, by Dyche’s admission in his pre-match press conference, Jarrad Branthwaite is still some way of making his return from hernia surgery.
All three of James Garner, Seamus Coleman and Nathan Patterson were already confirmed absentees leaving the team desperately short on both first-choice and auxiliary defenders for what was already a difficult assignment.
“We’re down to 14 recognised first-team players at the minute, so that’s not perfect, but the challenge is right in front of us, as always,” said Dyche who may well need to turn to new boy Jake O’Brien in the middle and Mason Holgate as emergency full-back.
Spurs will be hoping to qualify for the Champions League this season after falling away last term and eventually being edged out by Aston Villa.
Though Ange Postecoglu will be without the suspended Yves Bossouma and the injured Rodrigo Bentancur while Pedro Porro is doubtful, he has a superior and deeper squad from which to draw. That, coupled with home field advantage will make Spurs massive favourites.
Of key interest to Everton fans will be whether or not either the two new attacking signings, Iliman Ndiaye and Jesper Lindstrøm will be in the starting XI or whether Dyche will once again fall back on his trusted core unit of Abdoulaye Doucouré, Dwight McNeil and Jack Harrison playing behind Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
Ndiaye came on in the second half against Brighton but struggled to make an impact in a team playing with only 10 men while Lindstrøm was left out entirely before getting 90 valuable minutes playing for the U21s in midweek.
Kick-off: 3pm, Saturday 24 August 2024
Referee: Anthony Taylor
VAR: Andy Madley
Last Time: Tottenham Hotspur 2 – 1 Everton
Predicted Line-up: Pickford, Holgate, Keane, O’Brien, Mykolenko, Gueye, Iroegbunam, Harrison, McNeil, Doucouré, Calvert-Lewin