Everton’s 2023-24 Premier League starts this weekend with a clash against Fulham at Goodison Park.
And for the Toffees, there will be one chief aim - survival. Having been in a relegation scrap for the past two campaigns, the first target will be avoiding a dogfight at the foot of the table.
Everton’s battle to retain their top-flight status went all the way until the final day of 2022-23. A 1-0 victory over Bournemouth ensured that Sean Dyche’s men stayed up, although the manager wasn’t getting carried away with the task at hand after the game.
Dyche, who succeeded Frank Lampard in January, insisted there would be no ‘easy fix’ for the Blues and there was still ‘massive amount of work to be done’.
Everton have gone unbeaten during their pre-season programme, delivering wins over Stade Nyonnais, Wigan Athletic, Stoke City and most recently Sporting CP while there were draws with Bolton Wanderers and AC Monza.
But now the competitive action starts against a Fulham side who finished 10th last term and will be looking to kick-on again under former Blues chief Marco Silva.
Ahead of the game on Saturday, here’s an early look at the team news for both sides.
1. Everton vs Fulham team news. Picture: Marc Atkins/Getty Images
Everton vs Fulham team news. Picture: Marc Atkins/Getty Images
2. Dwight McNeil - out
Dyche has confirmed that the Everton winger will be sidelined for ‘weeks’ with ankle ligament damage he suffered at Stoke. Photo: Matt McNulty/Getty Images
3. Seamus Coleman - out
The Everton captain continues his recovery from a knee injury suffered against Leicester towards the end of last season. Photo: Michael Regan/Getty Images
4. Dele Alli - out
The Everton midfielder continues his recovery from hip surgery he had in April. Dyche said last weekend that Dele is still ‘miles away’ from being available for selection.