Dominic Calvert-Lewin to be left out, Neal Maupay to start – Predicted Everton XI v Wolves
Frank Lampard has a big decision to make around his striker position when Everton return to Premier League action against Wolves on Boxing Day.
The Toffees return to competitive action for the first time in six weeks when they host bottom of the table Wolves at Goodison Park, with Lampard intent on getting back to good form.
But after just one win in his last nine games as manager, he is desperate to get victory and move away from the relegation zone, meaning he will want to welcome all his World Cup and injured stars back as soon as possible.
Jordan Pickford was in the running for the Golden Glove award after his performances at the World Cup for England, but he’s now back in action for Everton and will surely start after featuring in the behind-closed-doors friendly with Aston Villa this week.
In defence Nathan Patterson is fit again and ready to take his place as the starting right-back, while Vitalii Mykolenko is still the stand-out option on the left.
There is a question mark around whether or not Lampard will return to a back five after Mason Holgate and Ben Godfrey returned from injury while Yerry Mina is edging closer to a return too, but a back four seems far more likely.
That should see James Tarkowski and Conor Coady resume their classy partnership in the middle of a back four.
In midfield Idrissa Gueye and Amadou Onana had decent World Cup’s individually but both were eliminated early, so they are available and ready to reprise their role in the centre alongside a rested and rejuvenated Alex Iwobi.
Demarai Gray is competing with Dwight McNeil for the left wing spot, but the former Birmingham and Leicester winger is far more of a goalscoring threat and his pace and directness is something Lampard has preferred so far this season.
Anthony Gordon should start on the right after committing his long-term future to the Toffees with a new long-term deal expected to be signed prior to the game, and he’s playing well after goals in Australia and against Aston Villa since the break.
Up front Lampard must decide whether to gamble on using Dominic Calvert-Lewin from the start, with the England forward back in training following a shoulder problem.
It seems unlikely however that he would do that considering how careful they were earlier in the season, so Neal Maupay should get the nod and will be keen to add to his singular goal for the season so far.
Predicted Everton XI v Wolves: Pickford; Patterson, Coady, Tarkowski, Mykolenko; Gueye, Onana, Iwobi; Gordon, Maupay, Gray.