Everton vs Southampton, 17th Sept. 20:45. : Lineup, prediction, injury report, livestream and more
FLW examines the possible lineup for Tuesday’s matchup between
Everton and Southampton at Goodison Park.
When Everton hosts Southampton in the third round of the NFL Cup on Tuesday night,
the two Premier League bottom boys square off at Goodison Park.
The Toffees and Saints have had a terrible start to the season.
After winning just one of their four Premier League games,
they are currently ranked 19th and 20th in the standings, respectively.
Only one victory has been achieved by either team this season,
and that came in the second round of the EFL Cup,
as Everton defeated Championship team Cardiff City 5-3 in the Welsh capital,
while Southampton defeated Doncaster Rovers 3-0 at Goodison Park.
Sean Dyche and Russell Martin may not be as focused on this match after terrible starts to the league season,
but a victory on Tuesday might be a huge confidence boost,
particularly against a team that is directly in the relegation zone.
In light of that, here is Everton’s anticipated starting lineup.
GK – Joao Virginia
In the Toffees’ most recent cup matchup with Doncaster Rovers,
backup goalkeeper Joao Virginia may start, marking his first professional game of the year.
The 24-year-old has started every game this season bar one,
an EFL Trophy match against Tranmere Rovers,
where Everton’s U21 team defeated them 3-1 at Prenton Park.
RB: Ashley Young
Veteran defender Ashley Young is in line to start against the Saints on Tuesday night,
with Seamus Coleman missing out on Everton’s matchday squad for their trip to Aston Villa on Saturday.
Coleman started against Doncaster in the last round, but Dyche may be forced to play 39-year-old Young,
who is still a first-team regular despite his age and was used from the bench in the last round.
CB: Jake O’Brien
A summer signing from Lyon, Jake O’Brien has made just one start for the Toffees,
and that came in the last round against Doncaster Rovers.
Everton have a shortage of depth at centre-back thanks to Jarrad Branthwaite’s injury,
which means O’Brien will likely get a rare chance to start.
The 23-year-old will be looking for a big performance to help cement his position in Dyche’s plans
after playing just 26 minutes of Premier League football so far.
CB: Michael Keane
Due to Everton’s lack of depth at the back, Michael Keane,
who has started and played the full ninety minutes in every game this season, appears certain to start again.
This season, Keane and James Tarkowski have established themselves as the Toffees’ starting center-back duo.
However, in the most recent round, Keane was given preference over the former Burnley player
and will most likely accompany O’Brien.
LB: Vitaliy Mykolenko
Vitaliy Mykolenko, a Ukrainian international, started every game for Everton this season; nevertheless,
he was forced off the field after 26 minutes on Saturday at Villa Park due to sickness.
Dyche will be relieved that it was an illness rather than an injury, as the team is lacking options in the back,
as demonstrated by James Garner’s substitution of Mykolenko in the midfield on Saturday.
Everton is hoping that the 25-year-old is healthy enough to play on Tuesday night after his illness.
CDM: Tim Iroegbunam
Tim Iroegbunam, an Aston Villa summer acquisition,
has started every Everton match this year and is expected to start again
when Southampton visits Goodison Park on Tuesday.
In their victory over Doncaster in the previous round,
the 21-year-old picked up his first assist while wearing an
Everton shirt, and he’ll be hoping to increase that total on Tuesday.
CDM, James Garner
Idrissa Gueye, 34, may not be as popular as James Garner,
who has only started one game this season—against
Doncaster in the NFL Cup—as Dyche wants to rotate his starting lineup.
Should he be chosen, the 23-year-old will be hoping to secure a spot in the Premier League starting lineup.
CAM: Iliman Ndiaye
Iliman Ndiaye started in the number ten role against Doncaster in the previous round and performed well,
scoring his first goal for the club since his summer move from Marseille.
The 24-year-old has started the last two Premier League games and will be looking
for another big performance in the cup.
RW: Jesper Lindstrom
Summer loan agreement Since leaving Napoli, Jesper Lindstrom has had difficulty playing regularly,
but he did start the last round’s matchup against Doncaster
and the EFL Trophy matchup against Tranmere Rovers.
The Danish international will have the ideal opportunity to get off to a quick start
and leave his mark in the hopes of attracting Dyche’s attention on Tuesday.
LW: Dwight McNeil
This season, Dwight McNeil has started every Everton game, and on Tuesday night,
it appears that he will continue that trend.
He’s had a respectable start to the season, tallying two goals and dishing out two assists,
one of which came in Everton’s 3-0 victory over Doncaster in the previous round.
ST – Beto
You’d expect Dyche to choose a strong side as he seeks to progress to the next round
against Premier League opposition, but it may not be full strength as he looks to freshen up
his squad and provide opportunities to fringe players.
Beto, a large striker from Portugal who has featured in all five of Everton’s games
this season but has yet to start a Premier League match, may be a starter.
This season, he has scored three goals:
one in the EFL Cup against Doncaster and two more in the EFL Trophy against Tranmere.
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