The first international break of the season is just around the corner now, and it’s an especially lengthy one at that. Everton will have a three-week break after this Saturday, but not before they host newly promoted Ipswich at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, in what will be their first visit to the ground.
Everton managed to get their name in the hat of the next round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening, following a 1-0 win against Championship side Wolves. As predicted, it was a cagey affair, with Everton controlling most of the possession without really managing to penetrate the stubborn Wolves defence, but a superb bit of play from the Player of the Match Tyler Dibling and the almost-forgotten man Carlos Alcaraz helped Everton break the deadlock in the 80th minute. Everton were poor in many areas, no doubt about it, but Wolves never really looked like scoring barring an Adam Armstrong one-on-one, which was reassuring given the lack of minutes this season for the two centre-backs who started. Overall, it was nothing to get excited about, however it was certainly a satisfying win which kept the unbeaten run going.
Looking ahead, Saturday’s opponents will be over the moon with their start in their return to life in the Premier League, having collected six points from their opening two games. A 3-2 win last time out against a struggling Crystal Palace side at Selhurst Park will have eased the pressure after back to back losses, which included a 5-2 hammering away at Old Trafford, meaning the Tractor Boys will be looking to go into the break on a high in what they may see as another game where they can pick up a result. They did lose midweek in the cup, however this was at the hands of Arsenal, which will be far from a concern for Gary O’Neil and his staff.
Everton and Ipswich – History
As mentioned, this will be Ipswich’s first trip to the Hill Dickinson Stadium, as they were in the Championship last season when the stadium opened its doors.
Everton took four points from Ipswich the last time they were in the league in the 2024/25 season, with a 2-0 win away and a 2-2 draw at Goodison Park.
These matches were the first contested between the two sides in 22 years, due to Ipswich’s absence from the top flight which saw them slide all the way to League One.
Team News
Harrison Armstrong is fit, but not 100% ready to start.
Merlin Rohl will not be available due to an unspecified injury.
Christian Norgaard remains sidelined.
Everton Key Player
Vitaliy Mykolenko – It’s about time I give this man a bit of respect. I, like many (or most), have been heavily critical of the Ukrainian during his time at the club, but this season Mykolenko has arguably been one of Everton’s best players. Against Spurs, he got received the Player of the Match award, through adapting brilliantly after a shaky first twenty minutes against the tricky Savio. It wasn’t just against Spurs where he impressed, though – against Bournemouth, some vital challenges and blocks helped keep Everton in the game when they were trailing 1-0, and against Wolves, he seemed a lot calmer on the ball and was, again, solid defensively.
Mykolenko has never been a threat going forward, and still isn’t, really, accumulating a grand total of 0.0xG this season so far. However, he seems to be making more overlapping runs and getting into the opposition box more this season than in the past. Moreover, Jack Grealish seems far more comfortable with giving him the ball than he did at points last season, perhaps showing that his attacking and on-the-ball abilities have improved this time out. He’s far from the finished article and the ideal full-back, but he plays 90 minutes week in week out, gets on with his football, and has been a loyal servant for nearly five years, now. He will never be a world-beater, that’s for certain, but Mykolenko deserves some respect for how he has started this season.
One to Watch for Ipswich
Julio Enciso – The Paraguayan spent six months on loan at Ipswich the last time they were in the Premier League and instantly became a fan favourite within the 13 matches he played there. By nothing two goals and three assists in that period, he proved he can have some attacking output even in a weak squad, which has yet again been shown by his two assists so far this campaign.
The Paraguayan spent last season over in France with Strasbourg, racking up an impressive rate of a goal contribution every other appearance, on average. It seemed as though he had a soft spot for Ipswich, however, as he jumped at the opportunity to return after their return to the Premier League, despite rumours of a move to Chelsea being on the cards due to their partnership with Strasbourg. It’s clear to see why Ipswich were desperate to have him back; he has the pace, tenacity, and technical ability of a solid European-level player, which could prove vital for them this season. On the counter-attack, his ability to move his team up the pitch at pace is incredibly impressive and, despite his smaller frame, he manages to hold off defenders superbly. Everton are expected to have most of the ball this Saturday, therefore Enciso’s ability in transition could be the biggest issue faced this weekend.
Final Thoughts
Being undefeated is all well and good, but Everton need to start winning Premier League matches again. So, what better opportunity to do that than with two promoted teams in your next two fixtures? Well, we have all been here before with Everton. A few impressive results against the odds, confidence builds, a win is expected, and all of that confidence goes out the window by half-time. I really hope this weekend is different, as going into the international break without a defeat all season would be fantastic for the club, but I won’t count my chickens before they’ve hatched.
Ipswich are no pushovers. No one is in this league anymore. Okay, United absolutely demolished them, but for 40 minutes Ipswich were by far and away the better side, and United were only allowed back into the game as a result of an unfortunate slip. They also had chances against Liverpool to take a draw – in another world, Ipswich could be sat in the Top 4 right now.
With all that being said, I’m still backing Everton to get a long-awaited win here by grinding out a 1-0 yet again. Everton are not going to be a free-scoring team this season, but the midfielders and wingers create enough chances that eventually one has to go in, just like on Wednesday evening. It’s impossible to predict a scorer, however, so I will instead trust the defence to do its job once again and shut Ipswich out.
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