Everton Starting XI vs Ipswich Town: Confirmed Team News and Predicted Lineup

Everton vs Ipswich Town Predicted XI and Team News

Everton got the job done in midweek. A 1-0 win over Wolves in the Carabao Cup sent David Moyes and his players into the fourth round, with Charly Alcaraz scoring the only goal at Hill Dickinson Stadium. Useful result, no drama, move on.

Now it is back to the Premier League, and Ipswich Town arrive on Merseyside with a bit of belief. Gary O’Neil has them organised and competitive, which means Everton will need to be sharper than they were in spells against Wolves. Cup rotation is one thing, league football is another.

Everton team news ahead of Ipswich

Jordan Pickford started the cup tie and should keep his place. In front of him, Everton are likely to restore their first-choice central pairing. That points to James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite coming back in, with Michael Keane and Jake O’Brien dropping to the bench.

At full-back, Vitalii Mykolenko looks set to continue on the left, while Ainsley Maitland-Niles could keep his place on the right. It is a sensible call, particularly against an Ipswich side that will try to work wide areas and test Everton’s shape.

Photo: IMAGO

Midfield battle could define Everton vs Ipswich

In midfield, Hayden Hackney and James Garner look the obvious pairing. They give Everton enough legs and enough control, which matters against a team that will not mind making this scrappy. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall should also come back into the side, offering a bit more craft between the lines.

One of the real selection debates is out wide. Tyler Dibling did well against Wolves and gave Everton a direct threat down the right, even registering the assist for the winner. He made a case for himself. Whether that is enough to convince Moyes in a Premier League game is another matter.

Tyler Dibling decision and attacking setup

The safer bet is that Tyrique George returns to the starting XI, while Jack Grealish could start from the left. That would leave Thierno Barry leading the line again. He did not score in midweek, but the expectation is that he keeps his place.

So the likely Everton predicted XI looks like this: Pickford, Maitland-Niles, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko, Garner, Hackney, Dewsbury-Hall, George, Grealish, Barry.

Nothing complicated here. Everton need control, physicality and enough quality in the final third to break Ipswich down. If they get that, they should have enough. If they drift, this becomes awkward very quickly.