Everton are up for the cup this week, as they gear up to get their Carabao Cup journey underway when they face Preston North End at Deepdale on Wednesday night. Everton have struggled to make a solid run in this competition as of late; they’ll be hoping to get on the right track to change that here.
It was a winning start for the Blues on the weekend, and quite a comfortable one at that, too. They stretched their unbeaten run against Crystal Palace to twelve matches in the form of a 2-0 win, courtesy of a Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall belter and a Thierno Barry header. For the four seasons prior to this, Everton had lost every opening match without even scoring a goal, meaning that we go into the Carabao Cup unbeaten for the season for the first time in what feels like forever! Overall, it was a positive start to the season despite some lucky escapes in the first half; Palace could easily have been 2-0 up before Everton broke the deadlock, but beggars cannot be choosers and the three points is what matters most. A game against Championship opposition is the perfect next step to furthering the momentum.
Wednesday’s opponents have had a dismal start to the season, to say the least. After coming through the first round of the cup on penalties at Goodison Park (!), two defeats from two have followed, the first of which came away at the hands of bitter rivals Bolton, and the second at home to newly-relegated Wolves. A Championship side, lacking morale, with nothing to lose, what could possibly go wrong?
Everton and Preston – History
These two teams have not met it in a competitive match since 2004, where Everton won 2-0 in this very competition.
Since then, there have been three friendlies between the sides, with Everton winning all three without conceding a goal.
This is a fixture with a lot of history; the first match recorded between the two sides came in 1887.
Team News
James Garner returned to the side on Saturday, making a substitute appearance.
Christian Norgaard and Tim Iroegbunam remain sidelined, with there being no known timeframe for the return of either.
Everton Key Player
Tyler Dibling – Despite all the highs of Saturday’s victory, it was a huge shame to see Dibling once again rooted to the bench after what was a promising pre-season. That’s not to say that he would have been a better option than Tyrique George or Iliman Ndiaye – far from it! They were the two best players on the pitch, but having a new signing in Brennan Johnson already get some minutes over Dibling, who no doubt could have done with them in a less pressured environment seems harsh to me.
It was in this competition last season where Dibling made his full debut for the club, starting in a disjointed side in that 2-0 defeat to Wolves. He didn’t even make it until the hour mark in that match, and then we all know the story of his lack of minutes since then. Interestingly, there has been no concrete links in terms of Dibling moving away from Everton this summer, whether that be on loan or permanently, suggesting that he is still in the manager’s plans this season. A brief link to RB Leipzig floated around earlier this month but nothing seems to have come of it; a good rule of thumb is that, if a Red Bull club are interested in your young player, it probably means they’re quite good.
I, like many others, still have huge hopes for Dibling in a blue shirt, and I think this season is the season where he shows everyone why Everton paid the big bucks. A game against Championship opposition where he can have the chance to run at defenders and lead an attack could be the best place to kickstart his Everton career, and I’m expecting a big performance from the 20-year-old on Wednesday.
One to Watch for Preston
Alfie Devine – Despite having an average, or even below average, Championship squad, Preston have an exciting young player in Alfie Devine. After starting his career at Tottenham Hotspur, making two appearances for them in the FA Cup, Devine had made his way up the Football League with stints at Plymouth and Port Vale. Now, coming off the back of a 15-goal contribution season in a side which finished mid-table, it seems as if he is maturing into some form of the player he was hoped to be at Spurs.
Final Thoughts
David Moyes should try his best to avoid mass rotation for this fixture, and instead keep the momentum and feel-good factor going with his main players. Naturally, some players who need protecting, such as Jarrard Branthwaite and Harrison Armstrong, will come out, Beto will come in for Barry despite rumours of him leaving, and Iliman Ndiaye will most likely be given a rest after his shorter pre-season, but Everton are in a stronger position than they have been in years in terms of squad strength. It feels like whoever comes in for a game like this can provide the difference, and such a competitive, young squad provides that incentive to go and make a point to the manager. It will also be interesting to see if Jake O’Brien starts in his preferred centre back role, after strong rumours surfaced about him departing the club before the window closes due to the lack of game time there.
In terms of a prediction, I will go for yet another 2-0 win to Everton, this time far more comfortable than at the weekend. Upsets are possible, yes, and the lack of extra time in the Carabao Cup means that Preston will be looking to play for penalties, but Everton are coming up against a side who have failed to keep a clean sheet in 19 matches now. I’ll back Dibling to get his first goal in an Everton shirt, and Beto is always reliable to get on the scoresheet against these lower-league sides.
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