Hamburg vs Everton LIVE
Hamburg vs Everton LIVE
Everton continue their preparations for the new season against Hamburg this afternoon.
In a double-header at the Volksparkstadion, Everton Women take on HSV-Frauen before the men’s team take on Hamburger SV at 4pm.
The Blues’ pre-season campaign has so far taken them from Dundee to Bolton and then a trip to the Potteries to take on Stoke City.
David Moyes’ side were beaten 1-0 at the bet365 Stadium, which was their first defeat of pre-season.
Despite being cheered on by a sizeable number of away supporters, the Blues were beaten after 19-year-old substitute Gabriel Kelly netted the only goal of the contest on the hour mark with a long-range strike.
But what will this afternoon bring? Joe Thomas will be at Volksparkstadion, with Chris Beesley back at base, to bring all the best updates, analysis and reaction.
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After back-to-back tests against Sky Bet Championship clubs, this afternoon’s game is undoubtedly a step up for the Blues.
One player I would like to see return is Jarrad Branthwaite. While it is understandable that the Blues are managing the defender’s workload, it would be good to see him given as much gametime as possible this pre-season.
I would also like to see Adam Aznou given the nod at left-back. We all know what Vitalii Mykolenko can offer, but now it is time to see what Aznou can offer the Blues, and we won’t see what he can do unless he plays.
If Branthwaite desn't feature, it is hard not to imagine the Blues lining up with Jake O’Brien at right-back and James Tarkowski and Michael Keane at the heart of the defence.
Tyler Dibling should also be afforded the chance to show what he can offer, with Tyrique George on the opposite side.
In the middle, Hayden Hackney, Merlin Rohl and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall should all start, with Beto leading the line.
My team (4-2-3-1): Travers; O’Brien,Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Aznou; Hackney, Rohl; Dibling, Dewsbury-Hall, George; Beto.
Missing out on European football this season understandably still smarts Evertonians after the Blues failed to win any of their last seven matches having been three points off a Champions League place following the 3-0 victory over Chelsea on March 21.
However, there is some scant consolation for travelling supporters who had witnessed a dozen successes on their travels in the Premier League since David Moyes returned as they get to experience a couple of the continent's classic matchday experiences in Germany over the next two weekends.
Everton fans enjoyed one of their most memorable away days when they visited the country for a UEFA Cup group game against 1. FC Nurnberg on November 8, 2007.
Former midfielder Lee Carsley, who is now in charge of the England Under-21s team having steered them to back-to-back titles in the European Championships, played in the 2-0 win and recalled the party atmosphere when commenting on how he believed Blues supporters had been unfairly pre-judged by the French police in Lille some seven years later, telling the ECHO: “I’ve been all over Europe with Everton and there’s never been a whiff of trouble.
Good morning and welcome to the Liverpool ECHO’s live coverage of Everton against Hamburg.
In a double-header at the Volksparkstadion, Everton Women take on HSV-Frauen before the men’s team take on Hamburger SV at 4pm.
The Blues’ pre-season campaign has so far taken them from Dundee to Bolton and then a trip to the Potteries to take on Stoke City.
What will this afternoon bring? We are about to find out.