Michael Keane drops out as Sean Dyche makes Beto call in attack – confirmed Everton XI v Tottenham
Everton manager Sean Dyche has confirmed his starting XI for Saturday’s (23 December) Premier League clash with Tottenham.
The Toffees have been in great form in the league, but they were eliminated from the EFL Cup on penalties by Fulham on Tuesday (19 December).
Dyche has made one change from that match, as confirmed by Everton’s official Twitter account [23 December], with fit-again Vitaliy Mykolenko coming in for 12-cap England international Michael Keane.
That alteration is a big one, as it means Dyche is likely to revert back to a four-man defence comprising of Nathan Patterson, James Tarkowski, Jarrad Branthwaite and Mykolenko.
James Garner, Amadou Onana and Idrissa Gueye make up the midfield three, while Dwight McNeil, Jack Harrison and Calvert-Lewin are the three attackers.
That means only a place among the substitutes for Beto, who was on target in the game with Fulham and was pushing for a start in North London.
The only other notable news is that Andre Gomes is part of the matchday squad and in contention for a first start of the campaign.
A big test
Everton’s recent momentum was stemmed only slightly by the disappointment of losing out to Fulham in a penalty shoot-out in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals, but there is little time to stew on that disappointment as we begin the hectic Christmas schedule.
In the league, it is four straight victories for the in-form Toffees and what better early to receive from Santa Claus that three precious points on the road as they look to put more distance between themselves and the bottom three.
This is a very difficult game to predict against a Tottenham side who play lovely football under Ange Postecoglou but definitely have a soft underbelly, you sense if Everton can get in their opponents’ faces they might have a lot of luck today.
On the other hand, if Spurs are able to gain an early foothold then it could be a long afternoon for the Toffees. It really is a big test today and the result could set the tone for the rest of the festive fixtures. Here’s hoping for another three points.
In other Everton news, the Toffees are reportedly eyeing a January move for a player Sean Dyche knows well.