Everton head south to face Tottenham Hotspur in their first away trip of the new Premier League season. The Toffees are coming off a disappointing performance at home to Brighton and Hove Albion and will look to get their season going against the Spurs. Last Word on Football brings you our Everton predicted lineup for the match that kicks off at 3pm on Saturday, August 24.
Everton Predicted Lineup For Match Against Tottenham
How Everton Have Lined Up
Everton have had an early injury crisis this term, resulting in a lineup that would be far from their best eleven for their season opener. Michael Keane and Ashley Young both started on the right side of the defence last match due to multiple injuries in the squad. James Tarkowski and Vitaliy Mykolenko were the left-sided pairing, both key players in a defence that kept 13 clean sheets last time out.
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The duo of Idrissa Gueye and Tim Iroegbunam started in the centre of midfield. The latter made just his second Premier League start of his career. The starting wingers were Dwight McNeil and Jack Harrison, both first-choice players last season.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin led the line with Abdoulaye Doucoure playing off his shoulder in the second striker role. Both players are looking to improve on their output from the last match where they both heavily underperformed.
Everton’s Recent Form and Tactics
Everton’s curtain raiser resulted in a 3-0 defeat at home to Brighton. In the match, Sean Dyche stayed consistent with his 4-2-3-1 formation despite the personal shortage. With an added suspension to Young, the team has no fit right-backs which could mean a change of formation.
The Toffees looked exciting in the early stages of the match, creating chances and playing balls in behind. A total of 7 offsides were recorded for the home team as they played with pace and attacking intent.
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Ultimately the Seagulls settled into the game and were able to pass around the defence for their first goal. The Toffees continued their poor record from last year where they were unable to get a result after conceding first.
They will have to be direct against a Tottenham team that plays a deliberate brand of football. A counter-attacking and long ball game style is often adopted by Everton against heavy-possession teams. They led the league in long pass attempts last season, Calvert-Lewin being the main focal point for these passes.
Everton Injuries To Consider
In this week’s press conference manager Sean Dyche outlined the injuries with the squad. The team are still without defenders Seamus Coleman, Nathan Patterson and Jarrad Braithwaite. James Tarkowski is also in doubt and hasn’t trained with the squad throughout the week. James Garner has returned to training with the first-team squad but will not feature in this weekend’s match. Young is serving a one-match suspension due to a red card in last week’s fixture.
Everton’s Predicted Lineup
GK: Jordan Pickford
RB: Mason Holgate
CB: Michael Keane
CB: Jake O’Brien
LB: Vitaliy Mykolenko
CM: Idrissa Gueye
CM: Tim Iroegbunam
CAM: Abdoulaye Doucoure
LM: Dwight McNeil
RM: Jack Harrison
ST: Dominic Calvert-Lewin