LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 16: Tyler Dibling of Everton during the Carabao Cup Third Round match between Everton and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Hill Dickinson Stadium on September 16, 2026 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Everton FC/Everton FC via Getty Images)
Tyler Dibling's impressive performance against Wolves in midweek means he'll be pushing for a place in Everton's starting line-up against Ipswich Town on Saturday(Image: Everton FC/Everton FC via Getty Images)
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Everton play their final match before the international break today (Saturday) when they welcome Ipswich Town to Hill Dickinson Stadium. But just what team will manager David Moyes select?
The Blues boss is able to welcome back first-choice centre-backs James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite and, while Jake O’Brien and Michael Keane hardly put a foot wrong in the midweek victory over Wolves in the Carabao Cup, they are likely to drop down to the bench.
Moyes faces tougher decisions in midfield and particularly on the wings with Tyler Dibling pushing for a staring spot after he starred in Wednesday's win.
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So what, then, is Moyes to do? Everton reporters Joe Thomas and Chris Beesley answer that right here...
Joe Thomas
This is a real opportunity to send Everton into the international break on a high - something David Moyes was able to do on several occasions last season. That a long international break follows it is a major bonus given the small nature of the squad and means there is no real need to rest and rotate players.
James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite return for me, taking the defence to the one that was so stubborn at Tottenham Hotspur. Harrison Armstrong has been excellent but if he has had a knock then there is little point rushing him back and Hayden Hackney would deserve a league start.
The questions for me are whether Jack Grealish starts and, if so, who plays on the right and up top. I would go with Grealish given the quality he possesses and, while you could see he was still getting his match fitness back against Wolves, Moyes believes it's the games that are most important to him finding it. As a result, I would move Tyrique George to the right, where I think he can pose a real threat, and I would stick with Thierno Barry as the forward in the hope he can take any chances that come his way and end this run of games on a high.
Doing that would allow me to keep Tyler Dibling and Brennan Johnson on the bench as useful options to support the attack. I think Johnson has to be used to dovetail with Barry up top and, to do that, playing him on the right from the start is a non-starter. Dibling was great in midweek and that tactic clears the way for him to come off the bench and hopefully build on that performance.
My team (4-2-3-1): Pickford; Maitland-Niles, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Hackney, Garner; George, Dewsbury-Hall, Grealish; Barry.
Chris Beesley
David Moyes has got some welcome potential selection headaches for Everton’s final fixture before the first international break of the season at home to Ipswich Town.
It was great to see Charly Alcaraz come in from the cold and show that he can still contribute with a well-taken late match-winner against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Carabao Cup as the Argentinian midfielder did really well to open up the space before dispatching his cool finish. Also, hopefully Wednesday night can be a watershed moment for Tyler Dibling, both in terms of the pass he laid on to produce the assist for Alcaraz’s goal and the terrific cover tackle he made when the visitors could have gone ahead – a moment of graft as well as craft that Blues supporters really appreciate.
However, despite their respective contributions to securing a fourth-round tie at home to Newcastle United, each of them has to be content with a place on the bench on Saturday in my eyes.
Hopefully Jack Grealish is now fit enough for a first Premier League start since the 1-0 win at his boyhood club Aston Villa on January 18 after coming through the Wolves tie, and if so he and Tyrique George are Everton’s brightest wide men right now.
There is also a dilemma in midfield where Harrison Armstrong picked up a minor injury in training to sit out the action midweek. I’d stick with Hayden Hackney in the engine room though as the Championship Player of the Season will know all about Ipswich Town while the Blues’ home-grown hero has played a lot of minutes so far this term and can be eased back in.
**My team (4-2-3-1):**Pickford; Maitland-Niles, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Hackney, Garner; George, Dewsbury-Hall, Grealish; Barry.