Match Preview: Everton v Brentford | OneFootball

Buoyed by a 5-1 victory over Luton Town last time out, Brentford’s Premier League run-in continues with a trip to Everton on Saturday. The game kicks off at 5.30pm and will be shown live on Sky Sports.

A five-game unbeaten run has lifted the Bees to 15th, 10 points clear of the relegation zone with four games left to play, while a crucial 2-0 win over Merseyside rivals Liverpool on Wednesday earned Everton some breathing space of their own: Sean Dyche’s Toffees are eight points clear of Luton in 18th.

Analysis, team news, match officials and more. Here's everything you need to know ahead of the weekend’s action.

Pre-match Analysis

Alex Lawes, Playmaker Stats: Direct and physical at both ends of the pitch, Everton and Brentford go about their business in a similar manner

Brentford had been in danger of a nervy final month of the season, but the Bees’ have finally received some just reward for their much-improved performances in the last few months.

Since returning from the March international break, Thomas Frank’s west Londoners have embarked upon a five-match unbeaten run of form which has well and truly propelled them away from the bottom three and the relegation places.

Prior to the break, Brentford had majorly improved but were still underperforming their expected goals. They are still significantly under for the xG differential with -9.92 so far this season.

Interestingly, the only team with a worse xG differential in this campaign are their upcoming opponents, Everton, with the Merseysiders on -18.

Stylistically, the two teams go about their business in a similar manner.

For example, there is a major emphasis from both Frank and Toffees boss Sean Dyche placed upon being direct and perhaps physical at both ends of the pitch. This is shown by the statistic that Everton have managed to win the most aerial duels in the Premier League 18.5 and Brentford the third most with 17.1, sandwiching Luton Town.

Their direct style of football and lack of overarching possession-based philosophy is also shown in the fact that only bottom-of-the-table Sheffield United average less possession per game than Everton, whilst both teams are in the bottom four for their pass success rate.

One thing that has definitely dipped for Brentford this season would be their effectiveness and shooting from as close to goal as possible. Only Newcastle United and Arsenal had more shots per game from within the six-yard box last season, whereas this year they are down in 13th for that particular stat.

In contrast, Everton have been able to become a bit more effective and a threat in the opposition’s box and that is shown by the fact that only league leaders Arsenal have scored more set-piece goals than them so far this season.

Yoane Wissa’s 24th-minute opener at Kenilworth Road last weekend in Brentford’s 5-1 demolition of Luton was the first time that Brentford have scored in the opening half an hour of a game in nearly two months.

Given that Everton are one of just three teams, alongside the bottom two Burnley and Sheffield United, to have failed to win after falling behind in a game, Brentford will be looking to replicate that relatively fast start at Goodison Park this weekend.

Scout Report

Everton keep heads above water despite eight-point penalty

Everyone associated with Everton Football Club must be asking themselves when they will catch a break.

It was not so far in the distant past that the Toffees were nailed-on for a top-eight finish in the Premier League, with eye-catching runs in domestic cup competitions and the odd European campaign here and there.

But in 2021/22, they avoided relegation by three points and, in 2022/23, that safety net had narrowed to two. Again, this term, their status as top flight ever-presents since 1954/55 has come under severe threat.

They lost four of the first five league games without scoring a single goal in those defeats and, naturally, dropped into the relegation zone as a result, but they had started to put something resembling a run of form together up to the November international break, when they were 14th with 14 points. It was a start.

“The mentality I've tried to work with the players on is finding different ways to win games and we've done that,” said manager Sean Dyche after the 3-2 win at Crystal Palace on 11 November.

"It's a work in progress. It's taken time. The questions Everton have had - are they soft, can they win games? We're making steps towards changing that story."

The story was changed for them on 17 November when the club was handed a 10-point deduction – the biggest in Premier League history – for breaching the league’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR).

They abruptly dropped back to second bottom and returned to action with a comprehensive 3-0 home defeat to Manchester United, in a game where Alejandro Garnacho lit up Goodison Park with a stunning overhead kick.

While the board did what they could to appeal against the heavy deduction, the players did their part in trying to get themselves out of their predicament by winning four league games in a row at the start of December to get them looking back up again.

In hindsight, without that purple patch, Everton may have been staring down the barrel even further, given they went on a torrid 13-game winless run between 23 December and 6 April, when they finally secured a crucial 1-0 win at home to fellow relegation candidates Burnley.

By that point, their initial deduction had been reduced from 10 points to six, though they were handed a further two-point penalty earlier this month for a second PSR breach.

Asked whether the points deduction was affecting his players, Dyche said: "It has to be parked. Professional that is what it says on your passport, now the professional bit kicks in. We have to do everything we can do to look after ourselves."

And Everton have done just that, with three wins in their last four matches - including a 2-0 victory over Merseyside rivals Liverpool on Wednesday - lifting them eight points clear of the relegation zone with four games left to play.

In the Dugout

Sean Dyche

After a 17-year playing career ended at Northampton in 2007, Sean Dyche immediately stepped into the world of coaching by working as Under-18s coach at former club Watford, who he had played for between 2002 and 2005.

Two years later, Malky Mackay – who, incidentally, joined the Hornets as a player the summer Dyche left – was appointed manager, with Dyche promoted to become his assistant.

Over the next two seasons, the pair guided Watford to 16th and 14th-place finishes in the Championship and, in the summer of 2011, Mackay left to take over at Cardiff, which led to Dyche stepping up to take on the role on a permanent basis in his place.

He led the club to 11th in 2011/12 – their highest finish in four seasons – but the Pozzo family took over and, in a statement said they “recognised Sean’s impeccable conduct, representing the Hornets with honour and dignity at all time,” before they quickly ousted him in favour of Gianfranco Zola.

Dyche was only out of work for a matter of months, though. Eddie Howe left Burnley to return to Bournemouth in October 2012 and he was installed as Howe’s successor on a two-and-a-half-year contract.

However, he ended up remaining at Turf Moor for seven years more than his initial contract length, guiding the Clarets to promotion to the Premier League as runners-up in 2013/14 and as Championship winners in 2015/16. His side finished seventh in 2017/18, which saw them qualify for European football for the first time in over half a century.

In April 2022, with the threat of relegation increasing, Dyche was sacked by Burnley – who dropped into the Championship after a defeat to Newcastle United on the final day - and, last January, he was appointed manager of Everton on a two-and-a-half-year contract.

The Gameplan

With Sky Sports’ Ben Grounds

Ben Grounds, digital football journalist for Sky Sports, explains how Sean Dyche is likely to set up his side on Saturday:

"I expect Dyche to stick to a preferred 4-4-1-1 formation, with two holding midfielders.

"Provided there are no fresh setbacks, that will mean Doucouré playing in behind Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

"I fancy Jack Harrison and McNeil to take up the wide positions.

"The two holding midfielders have been rotated throughout the season owing to form and fitness, but Idrissa Gana Gueye and André Gomes have brought greater control and balance of late than James Garner and Amadou Onana.

"The problem position really has been right-back. Ashley Young has been favoured frequently by Dyche, with Nathan Patterson out for the season and Seamus Coleman also struggling for fitness. Ben Godfrey has a very different profile to Young but it is certainly an area Brentford - and Keane Lewis-Potter - could target."

Last time out v Liverpool (4-4-1-1): Pickford; Godfrey, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Harrison, Garner, Gueye,McNeil; Doucouré; Calvert-Lewin

Read the full interview with Ben Grounds here

Team News

Frank hopeful on Toney

Brentford head coach Thomas Frank provided an update on Aaron Hickey and Ivan Toney during his pre-match press conference on Thursday.

Toney, who has five goal contributions (4G, 1A) in 13 Premier League appearances this season, missed last weekend’s 5-1 victory over Luton Town due to a hip injury, while Hickey (hamstring) hasn’t featured since October.

“[Toney] is progressing, it is better, and I hope he is available for Saturday,” said Frank. “There is still one more training.

“Ivan just loves to play football. He just wants to get out there and play. All footballers have that same feeling, and of course the Euros are coming up and that’s important. But he’s also aware that it’s important to be fit to go out and perform.”

When asked about the chances of Hickey returning before the end of the campaign, Frank said: “He is progressing. Because he’s been out for so long, I’m not counting on it. Let’s see what happens during the next couple of weeks but I’m not expecting it.”

Rico Henry (knee), Josh Dasilva (knee) and Ben Mee (ankle) are out for the remainder of the season.

Brentford have no fresh injury concerns for the trip to Merseyside.

Match Officials

England handed third Brentford assignment of the season

Referee: Darren England

Assistants: Simon Bennett and Daniel Robathan

Fourth official: Dean Whitestone

Video assistant referee: Michael Oliver

Additional video assistant referee: Richard West

Saturday’s game will be Darren England’s 18th in charge of Brentford - the most of any team in the English pyramid.

The south Yorkshire official’s most recent Bees assignment was the 1-0 defeat to Manchester City in February.

England has refereed 25 games this season, showing 130 yellow cards and four reds.

Last Meeting

Brentford 1 Everton 3 (Premier League, 23 September 2023)

Three Everton goals saw the Toffees take the points in west London.

Abdoulaye Doucouré volleyed the away side in front after just six minutes, but the Bees were level before the half-hour mark thanks to Mathias Jensen’s third goal in four games.

However, the away side wrapped up the win with two goals in four second-half minutes courtesy of James Tarkowski and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.