After being given a ten-day break following their 0-0 FA Cup tie with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on January 4, Everton should be rested going into the match. However, they now have two games in three days, with a replay scheduled for Goodison Park on January 17.
For a game the Toffees really need to win, though, Dyche won’t be resting on his laurels. In fact, he may make three changes, one of which might involve replacing fan favourite Seamus Coleman with Nathan Patterson.
Joao Virginia had a fantastic first outing of the season in South London, but Jordan Pickford will surely start in goal as the team’s top choice after being given a rest for the FA Cup match at Selhurst Park.
Dyche is probably going to play defence in the same lineup as he started against Crystal Palace, although Patterson, whose youthful enthusiasm might be helpful against the Villans, might replace Coleman.
Additionally, the veteran Toffees defender did not impress in the FA Cup. He did not try any ground duels, completed only 57% of his passes, and only one of his 11 long ball attempts was completed. Such carelessness in possession and lack of defensive decisiveness could still prove costly against Emery’s team.
James Tarkowski, Jarrad Branthwaite, and Vitaliy Mykolenko—all of whom showed themselves to be extremely reliable against the Eagles last time out—will probably line up defensively for Patterson.
As his midfield pivot, Dyche will probably continue to use Amadou Onana and James Garner. Idrissa Gueye is now playing for Senegal at the AFCON, therefore Onana and Garner will be relied upon to anchor the midfield in his absence. This will likely come at the price of Andre Gomes, who will still likely be a valuable bench player.
Everton supporters may witness some significant changes in the attacking department, and Abdoulaye Doucoure may make a comeback for the team against the Villans.
The Malian international has been sidelined with an injury, but Injury Expert Ben Dinnery (10 January) says he should be back on Sunday. Dyche may choose to start him in a pivotal match at Goodison despite his absence from the previous five games.
With six goals and one assist in 17 Premier League games, Doucoure has established himself as an essential member of Dyche’s squad. However, Dinnery reports that Doucoure will likely take Dwight McNeil’s position after the player suffered a serious injury at Selhurst Park and appears to be “Ruled out” of Sunday’s action.
Arnaut Danjuma, who has been linked to a move away this month, should remain in the starting lineup behind Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who fortunately avoided a ban (Paul Joyce, 9 January) following his contentious sending-off against Palace, given Dyche’s dreadfully diminished attacking arsenal without McNeil.
