Jack Harrison starts with five changes – Everton confirmed starting XI v Aston Villa
Everton have confirmed their starting XI for the Carabao Cup third-round clash against Aston Villa at Villa Park as Sean Dyche looks to avenge the heavy 4-0 defeat earlier this season.
Jack Harrison has been handed his full Everton debut, while Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Michael Keane, Nathan Patterson and Arnaut Danjuma come into the side.
Dele Alli, Seamus Coleman and Andre Gomes continue to miss out through injuries, while Abdoulaye Doucure, Ashley Young, Idrissa Gueye, Beto and Dwight McNeil drop to the bench.
A loss isn’t the end of the world
While a win would see Everton continue a good run of form following their 3-1 Premier League victory against Brentford, a League Cup loss would allow the side to focus on their Premier League survival, so it wouldn’t be the end of the world.
This is especially true when considering the difficulty of the game. The circumstances are different from the Toffees’ previous visit to Villa Park, but the 4-0 scoreline on the day will still be fresh in the minds of fans.
Avoiding a similar scoreline, and possible loss of confidence as a result, will be a key point of the game, but it would be harsh to expect any sort of storming victory for Dyche’s side. Not to be negative though, a win would be a huge boost to all associated with the club.
The possibility of going far in a cup competition, despite not being the current target, is always a thrilling prospect, and fans will be hoping to see their team put a strong cup run together. A victory at Aston Villa could set them up to continue their success.
In other Everton news, a new timeline has emerged over 777 Partners’ owners test.