Thierno Barry playing for Everton.
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Everton v Newcastle United - Carabao Cup Fourth Round
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Everton v Newcastle United - Carabao Cup Fourth Round
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Rayan Ait-Nouri playing for Manchester City.
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Hayden Hackney battles for the ball for Everton.
Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images
Arsenal FC v Everton - Premier League 2026/27
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Making the case for Charly Alcaraz to start as Everton’s striker vs Newcastle
Charly Alcaraz playing for Everton.
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How are you feeling about this match? Join us and follow this TalkingPoint as we welcome Newcastle United.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall of Everton celebrates his goal to make it 1-1 during the Premier League match between Hull City and Everton at MKM Stadium in Hull, United Kingdom, on October 11, 2026.
@sunderlandfan16 they are a more aggressive team than us witch worry me
Yea, cause now they will have form going in
It’s time for David Moyes to freshen things up and start Alcaraz
Granted, Everton have just played against two top Premier League sides. But it was still disappointing to see a lack of attacking threat, and Moyes did come in for criticism from fans.
Thierno Barry has done well at times this term, but he blanked against Chelsea and Arsenal, and given he’s started all 10 of Everton’s games so far, now might be the time for the Frenchman to drop to the bench.
Johnson could be an option to replace him against Newcastle in the cup. But Alcaraz feels like a more exciting choice at this point, given the Wales international’s own struggles.
Alcaraz, of course, scored the goal against Wolves in the last round that got Everton to this point. After great work by Tyler Dibling – who is another player who needs to be starting tomorrow night – he showed superb composure to finish.
Alcaraz also has the appeal of having scored against Newcastle before. In Everton’s final game of the 2024/25 season, the Argentine netted a great header up at St. James’ Park.
👊 Back home under the lights and ready for cup action. https://t.co/KoaZDPHqoK
— Everton (@Everton) October 26, 2026
Barry has struggled with his link-up play in recent matches, but Alcaraz has the potential to knit things together better, given he’d be more likely to come deeper for the ball. Then, it would be about getting runners in beyond him – someone like Tyrique George would be good for this.
Alcaraz is the least used player in the Everton squad at the moment, meaning he will likely be raring to go. There was a good argument for Alcaraz starting against Arsenal, but Moyes resisted. There will be an element of him wanting to prove a point to his manager, who has arguably not given him anywhere near enough minutes up to this point.
While he is not a specialist centre forward and someone who may not relish a physical battle, there is the notion of him being a bit more unpredictable, and he might be someone Newcastle know less about than Barry.
Not only does Alcaraz know how to finish, but he can also potentially bring that creativity that has been badly lacking in recent weeks.
This is quite a big game, so Moyes might be reluctant to now turn to a player he’s barely used. But picking Alcaraz would send out the right message. He made the difference in the last round and with the usual setup not having been working, it makes sense to bring him in.