Everton gears up for a crucial match against Liverpool with two significant changes to their lineup, aiming for victory at Goodison Park this Saturday
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Liverpool: Everton is set to face Premier League leaders Liverpool at Goodison Park this Saturday. The Toffees are coming off a strong 4-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers, giving them a boost of confidence as they prepare for this important derby.
Liverpool has only lost once this season and currently holds a seven-point lead over Chelsea and Arsenal. Everton’s manager, Sean Dyche, needs to make the right choices to prevent Liverpool from causing trouble.
Jordan Pickford, who kept a clean sheet in the last match, must be at his best against Liverpool. In defense, Michael Keane is injured and will miss the game. James Tarkowski, Jarrad Branthwaite, and Vitaly Mykolenko are expected to keep their spots, but Dyche may choose to drop Ashley Young.
Although Young performed well against Wolves, he might struggle against Liverpool’s fast wingers like Luis Diaz or Cody Gakpo. He was sent off at Anfield last season, so Dyche needs to be cautious.
Nathan Patterson, 23, is likely to replace Young. Patterson has previously done well against Diaz and is a better option than Young or Seamus Coleman, who is back from injury.
In midfield, Orel Mangala and Idrissa Gueye played well in the last match and should continue. Tim Iroegbunam and James Garner are still injured, leaving Dyche with limited choices in this area.
Abdoulaye Doucoure has not been performing well lately and may be left out of the starting XI. Dyche needs to ensure that Liverpool’s forwards do not dominate the game, so Jack Harrison might start on the right side.
Harrison may not track back much, but his work rate is impressive. Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Ilimian Ndiaye, and Dwight McNeil are expected to keep their places in the lineup. Dyche has also been impressed with Armando Broja, who could come off the bench again.
In summary, Dyche is likely to make two changes, bringing in Harrison and Patterson for Doucoure and Young. The predicted Everton lineup against Liverpool is: Pickford; Tarkowski, Patterson, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Gueye, Mangala; Ndiaye, McNeil, Harrison, Calvert-Lewin.