Everton face Championship Side Preston North End in the EFL Cup Second round at Deepdale.
David Moyes’ side begin their League Cup campaign at this stage, with The Lilywhites coming out on top in a difficult matchup against Huddersfield Town in the previous round.
Preston’s 93rd-minute equaliser, scored by Swedish international Jusef Erabi, sent the tie to penalties. This was all whilst Paul Heckingbottom’s side were down to ten men, with Everton academy graduate Lewis Gibson dismissed early on.
There has been some controversy this week regarding the words of David Moyes, with the Glaswegian seemingly not to be prioritising silverware through cup competitions, and instead Premier League survival.
Speaking to the press on Tuesday, he said: “Of course we all want to win the cups. Yes, the cups are hugely important, would it be more important than staying in the Premier League?”
"I’ll ask you the question: Is winning a cup more important than staying in the Premier League? What would your answer be? Of course we want to do well in the cups, I can’t think of any manager who wouldn’t want a good run in the cups."
Surely Everton’s ambition this season should be more than “staying in the Premier League”, especially after such a strong start against Crystal Palace?
So, the side Moyes puts out may say a lot about what the priority is this season, and certainly a statement of the Glaswegian’s ambition ahead of another busy season.
EVERTON TEAM NEWS
James Garner made a shock return to the bench during the 2-0 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday, even making a feature for 10 minutes. Returning little by little from the minor groin injury suffered in the summer, the midfielder may play a role in Wednesday’s clash.
Moyes’ mentioned the likes of Michael Keane and Tyler Dibling as available and therefore likely starters. This is an opportunity for some fringe players to thrive and show their worth.
Finally, Tim Iroegbunam remains sidelined with an adductor strain.
EVERTON PREDICTED LINEUP (4-2-3-1)
Travers; Mykolenko, Keane, O’Brien, Rohl; Hackney, Armstrong; George, Alcaraz, Dibling; Beto
PRESTON NORTH END VS EVERTON MATCH DETAILS
Kick-off: 8 pm BST, Wednesday 26th August
Venue: Deepdale, Preston
HOW TO WATCH PRESTON NORTH END VS EVERTON
This EFL Cup game between Preston North End and Everton will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Football. You can also follow updates here, on the ToffeeWeb Live Forum.
Reader Comments (2)
Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer ()
1 Posted 26/08/2026 at 10:50:46
I think the club wants to sell or swap O'Brien and so I cannot see him being risked tonight. Munoz swap deal ?
Add Your Comments
In order to post a comment, you need to be logged in as a registered user of the site.
» Log in now
Or Sign up as a ToffeeWeb Member — it's free, takes just a few minutes and will allow you to post your comments on articles and Talking Points submissions across the site.