Everton travel to Accrington for the first pre season game of the 2025 season tonight (Tuesday 15 July) with a limited squad.
The match will be shown exclusively on EvertonTV+, a new service launched by the club that costs £7.99 on the Everton website. You can bundle up this game with the visit to Blackburn Rovers on Saturday for a one-off payment of £9.99 if you want to watch both pre season fixtures.
The match kicks off at 7.45pm and the 2,000-plus Everton fans making the journey to Lancashire might need to take some waterproof clothing with thunderstorms predicted for the match and a roofless away end at the wonderfully named Wham Stadium.
Everton vs Accrington Stanley team news
Everton will have a limited squad for the trip with a number of first team players returning to training late and only two new transfers confirmed so far this summer.
Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford only returned to training yesterday after he was involved with England at the end of the season and with Virginia and Begovic both leaving the club it leaves a gap in goal. Harry Tyrer, who was at Blackpool on loan last season, is joined by youngsters Douglass Lukjanciks and George Pickford. Both trained with the first team squad in Scotland last week.
In defence James Tarkowski is still recovering from injury while Jarrad Branthwaite is fit but will be managed carefully. Jake O’Brien, Michael Keane, Vitalii Mykolenko, Seamus Coleman and Nathan Patterson are available. Eli Campbell will probably miss out having played in Ross County’s relegation playoff games at the end of last season.
Expect Reece Welch to play some part as the most senior u21 defender in the squad. There is an outside chance Aled Thomas, Will Tamen or Josh Van Schoor could be included in the squad.
In midfield Everton will be without Gana Gueye and Illiman Ndiaye, who returned to training yesterday after playing for Senegal in the most recent round of internationals. James Garner, Tim Iroegbunam, Charly Alcaraz, and Dwight McNeil are all available.
Youngsters Harrison Armstrong, Isaac Heath, Coby Ebere and Callum Bates could feature.
Up front Beto and Chermiti are the two senior strikers but Martin Sherif could be used as backup after appearing on the first team bench last season. New signing Thierno Barry has been given extended leave after playing for France in the u21 Euros and he posted a training video from abroad as he prepares for pre season.
There is an outside chance other u21s could bulk out the squad. It may be too early for Braiden Graham at just 17 years old but the likes of winger Jacob Beaumount-Clark, midfielder Francis Gomez, who made his Gambia debut earlier this year, and u21 top scorer Omari Benjamin could feature at some point in pre season.
Match preview
Everton’s first pre season game is all about fitness as David Moyes’ team prepares for a tougher fixture at Blackburn and a pre season tour of the US where they will face West Ham, Bournemouth and Manchester United.
Fans will want and expect a win but with a mixed team of experience and young players the result is less important than getting minutes in the legs of Everton’s limited squad.
The team that begins the season will look drastically different to the side tonight but fans will be excited to see some of the talented youngsters at the club including Harrison Armstrong.
It is also a chance to give minutes to players who were limited through injury last year. Tim Iroegbunam burst into the team under Sean Dyche with a number of impressive performances but loss of form and injury disrupted his season. Despite a huge cameo to set up Tarkowski’s volley against Liverpool at Goodison Park, he still has to secure a role within Moyes’ side.
There are also questions over Nathan Patterson. It feels like now or never for the Scottish international to nail the right back spot or face an uncertain future at Everton. Pre season can be a fresh start for Patterson.
Youssuf Chermiti will also hope to impress during pre season after an injury-ravaged campaign. With new competition coming from Barry a loan may be the best option for him to get minutes but a starring role over the summer could convince Moyes otherwise. He was superb last year in pre season games and will hope to recapture the form he displayed 12 months ago.
Stanley are further along than Everton having already played Blackburn in a pre season fixture. The League Two side features former Everton academy youngster Conor Grant. The 30-year-old midfielder was loaned out five times by Everton before going on to play over 100 games for Plymouth. He arrived at Stanley via a spell at Port Vale.