Everton (H) 3pm Saturday 9th November (not on TV)
Just for a change I'm going to start with us
No Kudus, no Alvarez, no Fullkrug
Hopefully Tommy Soucek is fit, hopefully we don't play three at the back and hopefully Antonio starts!
Normal service will now resume
Everton haven't had their worst start to a season (that was 1994-95 when they went 12 games without a win) but its not been great with just two wins (Palace, Ipswich) and three draws.
In his defence Dyche has had a few injuries to deal with although surprisingly Dominic Calvert-Lewin isn't one of them!
He's one of just four players to start all 10 league matches along with key player Dwight McNeil (top with 3 goals and 3 assists), Jordan Pickford and James Tarkowski.
Jarrad Branthwaite, subject of transfer speculation in the summer, has been struggling with a thigh issue but has had a few minutes from the bench in the last two matches. With Ben Godfrey gone to Atalanta Michael Keane has started alongside Tarkowski and picked up a fourth yellow card at the weekend. 23yo CB Jake O'Brien, signed from Lyon for £16.4m and won his first full Irish caps in August, is another option on the bench.
On the left of defence Vitali Mykolenko has started eight while on the right Ashley Young, who celebrated his 39th birthday in July, has been preferred to Nathan Patterson, recovered from the hamstring he picked up in April, and 36yo club captain Seamus Coleman, back from a thigh problem.
In the centre of midfield its been a bit thin, Amadou Onana, once linked with West Ham, left for Villa after just two seasons at Goodison while James Garner and Tim Iroegbunam, signed from Villa for £9m, are both long term injuries. Abdoulaye Doucoure was unavailable last weekend with a minor knock which left Idrissa Gueye and Orel Mangala who arrived on loan from Lyon just 8 weeks after he joined from Nottingham Forest
Either side of Dwight McNeil CF Iliman Ndiaye, signed from Marseille for £15m a year after he left Sheffield United for £20m, has been playing on the left while Jack Harrison and Denmark's Jesper Lindstrom, on loan from Napoli, have been rotated on the right
Apart from Calvert-Lewin the only option up front is Beto who has only had 6 substitute appearances in the league
Neal Maupay is on loan at Marseille (hooray) and Armando Broja has been injured since his deadline day loan from Chelsea (because having just one sicknote striker isn't enough).
Starting XI against Saints last weekend
Pickford
Young Tarkowski Keane Mykolenko
Gueye Mangala
Lindstrom McNeil Ndiaye
Calvert-Lewin
But could be...
Pickford
Patterson Tarkowski Branthwaite Mykolenko
Gueye Doucoure
Harrison McNeil Ndiaye
Calvert-Lewin
As for their worst start to the season Everton finally got three points on 1st November against us
No Kudus, no Alvarez, no Fullkrug
Hopefully Tommy Soucek is fit, hopefully we don't play three at the back and hopefully Antonio starts!
Normal service will now resume
Everton haven't had their worst start to a season (that was 1994-95 when they went 12 games without a win) but its not been great with just two wins (Palace, Ipswich) and three draws.
In his defence Dyche has had a few injuries to deal with although surprisingly Dominic Calvert-Lewin isn't one of them!
He's one of just four players to start all 10 league matches along with key player Dwight McNeil (top with 3 goals and 3 assists), Jordan Pickford and James Tarkowski.
Jarrad Branthwaite, subject of transfer speculation in the summer, has been struggling with a thigh issue but has had a few minutes from the bench in the last two matches. With Ben Godfrey gone to Atalanta Michael Keane has started alongside Tarkowski and picked up a fourth yellow card at the weekend. 23yo CB Jake O'Brien, signed from Lyon for £16.4m and won his first full Irish caps in August, is another option on the bench.
On the left of defence Vitali Mykolenko has started eight while on the right Ashley Young, who celebrated his 39th birthday in July, has been preferred to Nathan Patterson, recovered from the hamstring he picked up in April, and 36yo club captain Seamus Coleman, back from a thigh problem.
In the centre of midfield its been a bit thin, Amadou Onana, once linked with West Ham, left for Villa after just two seasons at Goodison while James Garner and Tim Iroegbunam, signed from Villa for £9m, are both long term injuries. Abdoulaye Doucoure was unavailable last weekend with a minor knock which left Idrissa Gueye and Orel Mangala who arrived on loan from Lyon just 8 weeks after he joined from Nottingham Forest
Either side of Dwight McNeil CF Iliman Ndiaye, signed from Marseille for £15m a year after he left Sheffield United for £20m, has been playing on the left while Jack Harrison and Denmark's Jesper Lindstrom, on loan from Napoli, have been rotated on the right
Apart from Calvert-Lewin the only option up front is Beto who has only had 6 substitute appearances in the league
Neal Maupay is on loan at Marseille (hooray) and Armando Broja has been injured since his deadline day loan from Chelsea (because having just one sicknote striker isn't enough).
Starting XI against Saints last weekend
Pickford
Young Tarkowski Keane Mykolenko
Gueye Mangala
Lindstrom McNeil Ndiaye
Calvert-Lewin
But could be...
Pickford
Patterson Tarkowski Branthwaite Mykolenko
Gueye Doucoure
Harrison McNeil Ndiaye
Calvert-Lewin
As for their worst start to the season Everton finally got three points on 1st November against us
Comments
Fabiański
Wan-Bissaka - Todibo - Kilman - Emerson
Souček - Rodríguez
Bowen - Paquetá - Summerville
Ings
"I don't know how long Fullkrug will be out. He started with a little injury but it has got more complicated.
"He will be out for the next two or three weeks but I don't know exactly. It depends how he responds to the treatment, so we'll see."
What a disaster of a signing.
From the OS
Souček is back in training now, though, feeling much better and ready to take his frustration out on a familiar opponent in Everton, who visit London Stadium this Saturday afternoon.
Not sure if because of Injury. Form. Or both 🤷♂️ 🧐
Seamus Coleman out with a hamstring, Doucoure "he has a chance" and Ndiaye (came off with a dead-leg against Saints) "looks ok".
Mangala is "getting along well" as he builds fitness
Jarrad Branthwaite might not replace Michael Keane as last time they brought him back too soon and he reinjured himself so this time they're "being careful".
Beto could replace Calvert-Lewin who hasn't scored since 14 September
But...
Liverpool Echo reports that Dwight McNeil might be unavailable this weekend. He picked up a knee problem against Fulham, managed 90 minutes against Saints but it has flared up again
"I've not got anything against your right leg but the trouble is - neither have you"
Otherwise same as last weekend
Got a good feeling about this
Back up now.