Everton play host to Leeds United at Goodison Park in their must-win Premier League clash this afternoon, and Sean Dyche will be hoping that his team can show some resilience to get back on track in their fight against relegation after another disappointing defeat at Anfield earlier this week.
The Toffees are currently 18th in the table, just one point and one place behind today’s opponents, so taking all three points in front of their home support could be absolutely crucial to their chances of top-flight survival at the end of the season.
In terms of injuries, the newly-appointed manager will go into his third fixture without Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who continues his struggle with a hamstring injury, whilst Nathan Patterson and James Garner are set for late fitness tests.
Dyche confirmed in his pre-match press conference on Thursday that the two returnees would feature for the U21s this week, and while they potentially could be available, they are unlikely to feature.
The Everton boss stated: “A couple of the lads will play tomorrow, which I am going to watch. Jimmy will play tomorrow, and Pato (Nathan Patterson) will play as well. So I will get over and watch them for the first time.”
“They are not there yet, but they have been on the grass with us. Next is to put it into game practice.”
As a result, this is how Football FanCast expects Everton to line up against Leeds this afternoon…
Jordan Pickford (GK); Seamus Coleman (RB), James Tarkowski (CB), Conor Coady (CB), Ben Godfrey (LB); Alex Iwobi (RM), Idrissa Gueye (CM), Amadou Onana (CM), Dwight McNeil (LM); Neal Maupay (ST), Ellis Simms (ST)
We expect Dyche to make two changes to the team which lost in the Merseyside derby last Monday, opting for a 4-4-2 formation to deal with Leeds’ attacking threat.
The first change we predict is in the back line, with Ben Godfrey replacing Vitaliy Mykolenko on the left flank alongside an otherwise unchanged defensive setup with James Tarkowski, Conor Coady and Seamus Coleman.
As was discussed on Football FanCast recently, dropping the £58k-per-week Ukrainian could be a wise tweak for Dyche, as the 23-year-old has struggled to be an effective presence over the last two games. He was dribbled past four times against Arsenal and another three times against Liverpool, proving all too easy for opponents to beat.
The second and final change we expect to see is the bold decision from the Everton boss to play two strikers, as he often did at Burnley, with Neal Maupay – hailed as “unique” by his former Brighton boss Graham Potter – joining academy graduate Ellis Simms up front to give the Merseysiders their best chance at converting chances in front of goal. That duly sees Abdoulaye Doucoure sacrificed from the midfield.
Today’s clash against managerless Leeds represents a huge opportunity for Everton to climb out of the relegation zone and try to put some distance between themselves and danger territory, and it is set to be Dyche’s most crucial challenge yet in his short time at Goodison Park.