Match Preview
Everton are back at Goodison Park for a late-afternoon Saturday kick-off against Newcastle United hoping to establish some momentum having picked up their first win of the Premier League campaign against Crystal Palace last weekend.
Dwight McNeil’s second-half brace lifted the Blues over the Eagles after Marc Guehi had given Oliver Glasner’s side a 10th-minute lead but they face an altogether more difficult proposition in the Magpies.
And the headline news ahead of the game is that Jarrad Branthwaite could be missing from Everton’s back line again this weekend after suffering a minor thigh problem in training.
The defender made his much-anticipated return to the starting line-up against Palace but could miss out against Newcastle if he doesn’t recover in time for the evening kick-off on Saturday.
If he doesn’t make it, Michael Keane would be the likely candidate to step back into the line-up given Sean Dyche’s selection preference in central defence so far, with Branthwaite then targeting the trip to Ipswich on the other side of the international break to return once again to action.
Seamus Coleman is still ruled out and won’t travel for international duty with the Republic of Ireland but he will be assessed over the upcoming break as he continues to “get stronger” in Dyche’s words following the injury he sustained playing against England last month.
Dyche said in his pre-match press conference that the approach with Nathan Patterson “is just common sense now” after he came through another hour with the Under-21s earlier this week.
The Scot is making a patient recovery from a serious hamstring tear in April and the surgery required to repair it, with Dyche saying that he is making good progress and now needs “a game programme” as his next step before he can be regarded as match ready.
Meanwhile, Armando Broja took another step of his own towards returning to action when he began light training this week. The Albanian international arrived on loan from Chelsea on transfer deadline day with an Achilles problem and was not expected to play again before the end of October at the earliest.
Branthwaite’s absence would force the manager into at least one change to the team he named to face Palace but it’s likely he will switch personnel wide on the right following Jesper Lindstrøm’s struggles in the first half last Saturday.
The Dane was substituted at half-time and replaced by Jack Harrison whose greater experience of the league was evident and he weighed in with a wonderful assist for McNeil’s winning goal in the 54th minute.
Harrison is probably a shoo-in to reclaim his role in that part of the pitch but Dyche was asked how Lindstrøm had reacted to being hooked at the halfway stage and he replied:
“He’s fine. It can happen. He had a below-par first half but all these players are adapting. I’ve said [that[ of all these players we have brought in — none of them have played in the Premier League regularly so they’re adapting to the challenges of it.
“Finding that in-game consistency, which I’ve spoken about endlessly — it’s not just about week-to-week consistency — during the game, staying true to the cause.
“Say, if you’re a talented player, which I think he is technically with the ball at his feet, and if it’s not your day to be good at that then you’ve got to do the team job. And if both are not operating as well then sometimes it needs a change.
“It’s all about him learning what the Premier League is about [and] there’s certainly no question marks other than learn, move forward, and we get ready again.”
In central midfield, meanwhile, Dyche has a decision to make over which pairing to go with given that he has five fit players all vying for two places. Abdoulaye Doucouré and Orel Mangala were deployed against Palace, with the former not as effective last weekend as he was at Leicester the week before, whereas Idrissa Gueye and James Garner are now match-ready, as is Tim Iroegbunam who hasn’t started since the defeat to Aston Villa in the middle of last month.
Newcastle travel buoyed by a good start to 2024-25 and an impressive 1-1 draw with Manchester City last weekend but key injuries up front mean that Eddie Howe may need to use Anthony Gordon as a makeshift striker again.
The ex-Everton winger scored from the spot against City after earning a controversial penalty at St James’s Park and it looks as though he will be asked to lead the line again with Callum Wilson ruled out and Alexander Isak only in with an outside chance of being able to overcome a toe injury.
Defenders Jamal Lascelles and Sven Botman plus midfielder Lewis Miley are also unavailable, Matt Targett is a significant doubt but Kieran Trippier could be passed fit to play.
With Everton having ceded so much of the initiative and space to Crystal Palace last time out, Dyche will need to ensure that his midfield tightens up for this one, particularly against the likes of Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton.
The other key concern (apart from Craig Pawson refereeing a fixture he almost ruined for Everton 18 months ago by sending Allan off), especially if Branthwaite misses out, is set-piece defending which has become Everton’s own Achilles heel lately. With the likes of Dan Burn in their side, it could be a weakness Newcastle deliberately seek to exploit, that along with a lack of pace at the back should it be a partnership between Keane and James Tarkowski.
It does feel as though Branthwaite’s availability is key. Without him, victory seems a tough ask based on the first five games and would be something to celebrate so the Blues might consider a hard-earned point heading into the international break a good result.
Kick-off: 5:30 pm, Saturday 5 October 2024
Referee: Craig Pawson
VAR: Chris Kavanagh
Last Time: Everton 3 – 0 Newcastle United
Predicted Line-up: Pickford, Young, Keane, Tarkowski, Mykolenko, Gueye, Mangala, Harrison, Ndiaye, McNeil, Calvert-Lewin