After falling short to Premier League newcomers Luton last weekend, Everton will be looking to get back to winning ways when they host Bournemouth on Saturday.
The loss to Luton would have been a shock, especially after Everton won their two games prior to both Aston Villa and Brentford.
Now, the upcoming match at Goodison Park against Bournemouth is crucial. If Everton lose then it feels like they will definitely be involved in the relegation battle this season.
Their upcoming opponents are yet to win this season, whilst a win for the Toffees would give them a much-needed morale boost.
Everton Team News ahead of Bournemouth
At the time of writing, Everton have three injuries to worry about. The players currently not available for selection are Dele Alli, Seamus Coleman and Andre Gomes.
None are expected back ahead of this upcoming game against Bournemouth. They are currently being assessed with the hope of returning towards the end of October.
Sean Dyche will also speak in his press conference later in the week ahead of the Premier League match and provide more squad information.
Everton Predicted Lineup vs Bournemouth
With the Toffees losing to Luton last weekend, manager Sean Dyche will have to field a more attacking lineup. A win in this match is crucial, especially with it being at home. In defence, it will be expected that Everton keep the same back line, with 21-year-old Jarrad Branthwaite seen as a key player. Just this week, Branthwaite has been linked to Premier League giants Manchester City.
Dyche is favouring his midfielders over his attackers as he tries to fit four natural central midfielders into a formation which is mainly using three. This has seen James Garner as more of a right-sided winger. If Everton want to beat Bournemouth then Dyche needs to favour his attackers.
It feels like an attacker, like Jack Harrison, should be favoured against Bournemouth. Both Dwight McNeil and Harrison are versatile and can play on either wing. It would be best to place Harrison on the right as he has played a lot more games there than McNeil. The former Leeds attacker is highly-rated, with talkSPORT pundit Tony Cascarino calling him ‘terrific‘.
There is an argument for Dyche to start Arnaut Danjuma on the wing in place of McNeil but it feels like the manager will stick with the player he also worked with at Burnley.
Meanwhile, with Idrissa Gueye being substituted at half-time against Luton, it would be best to keep him on the bench for the start of the match. The midfielder feels like the best option to be sacrificed. This would see Amadou Onana alongside Garner in his more natural position and they would both sit in central midfield.
Abdoulaye Doucouré would play just in front of them, whilst the in-form Dominic Calvert-Lewin would be the main man up top.
Predicted Everton XI vs Bournemouth
- Manager: Sean Dyche
- Formation: 4-4-1-1
- GK: Jordan Pickford
- DEFENCE: Ashley Young, Jarrad Branthwaite, James Tarkowski, Vitaliy Mykolenko
- MIDFIELD: Jack Harrison, Amadou Onana, James Garner, Dwight McNeil
- ATTACK: Abdoulaye Doucouré, Dominic Calvert-Lewin
When is Everton vs Bournemouth?
No doubt the Everton crowd will need to get behind the team and be the 12th man this weekend. The game is being played on Saturday 7th October 2023 and it will kick-off at 3PM BST.
A win could see Everton move up to 14th, whilst a loss could see them in the relegation zone if results don’t go their way.
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