Frank Lampard prepares for his first game as Everton manager after taking over the reins at the club in January. The former Chelsea boss’ first test at Everton is a stern FA Cup fourth round fixture against Brentford.
With the arrival of Lampard, there is optimism among fans that he will give youngsters more prominent chances and given the injury issues and some players being cup tied, Lampard is likely to experiment with a few youngsters but also maintain the experience in the team.
New signing Dele Alli is cup tied. Along with Alli, loan arrivals Anwar El Ghazi and Donny van de Beek are also cup tied. With the trio missing the game, Everton fans will have to wait further to see the new signings in action. On the injury front, Everton will be without Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Abdoulaye Doucoure, Fabian Delph and Tom Davies.
Lampard has largely employed a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-3 during his time at Chelsea and given the resources and certain player profiles, Lampard will stick with either of the aforementioned formations.
Youngsters like Tyler Onyango, Lewis Dobbin, Nathan Patterson could feature against the Bees given they missed the U-23 fixture against Leicester yesterday. Getting off on a winning note is a must as Lampard prepares to dip his toes in the managerial pool after a year of absence.
Everton predicted lineup vs Brentford:
Goalkeeper: Asmir Begovic
Asmir Begovic will return to goal after his last appearance was against Hull City in the same competition. The 34 year old has remained Jordan Pickford’s backup, hence, getting playing time only in cup competitions. Doubts have remained over his abilities from time to time but today would be a good time to put in an industrious shift and impress Lampard.