After failing to win three matches in a row, Everton bounced back with an impressive performance vs Nottingham Forest, and they will hope to continue that run when Brentford come visiting to the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
The Toffees will look to build on that and put together a winning run now. David Moyes’s men are eighth in the league table, and they will look to finish in the top half of the table. The Merseyside outfit need to win these games at home if they want to do well.
On the other hand, Brentford are ninth in the Premier League table, and they are unbeaten in their last four Premier League matches. The Bees will look to continue their impressive run of form and produce a strong performance here.
Both teams are quite evenly matched, and this is likely to be a cracking contest. It will be interesting to see who comes out on top. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Jarrad Branthwaite is out with a hamstring injury, while Iliman Ndiaye and Idrissa Gueye are away on AFCON duty with Senegal. Apart from the three notable absentees, Seamus Coleman (hamstring), Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (thigh), and Carlos Alcaraz (knock) are in the treatment room.
Everton are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Brentford, with Jordan Pickford in goal. Jake O’Brien and Vitaliy Mykolenko will start in the full-back positions. They will look to keep things tight defensively. Meanwhile, Michael Keane will start alongside James Tarkowski in the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Tim Iroegbunam will start alongside James Garner in the double pivot. They will look to protect the back four and break down the opposition’s attacking moves. Jack Grealish and Tyler Dibling will start on the flanks. They will look to help out during transitions and create opportunities on the break.
Carlos Alcaraz’s injury means Dwight McNeil will start as the attacking midfielder, and he will look to link the midfield with the attack. Finally, Beto will spearhead the Everton attack vs Brentford this weekend.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Pickford, O’Brien, Keane, Tarkowski, Mykolenko; Garner, Iroegbunam; Dibling, McNeil, Grealish; Beto
Frank Onyeka and Dango Ouattara are away at AFCON with their national teams. Fabio Carvalho is out for the rest of the 2025/26 season with a knee injury, Antoni Milambo and Paris Maghoma are injured as well.
Brentford will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Everton, with Caoimhin Kelleher in goal. Michael Kayode and Rico Henry will start as the full-backs. They will look to keep things tight defensively and hit Everton on the break. Nathan Collins will form the central defensive partnership alongside Sepp van den Berg.
As for the midfield unit, Jordan Henderson and Yehor Yarmolyuk will look to protect the backline and win the ball back for their side in the middle of the park. Mikkel Damsgaard will start as the central attacking midfielder, and he will help create opportunities in the final third.
Kevin Schade and Keane Lewis-Potter will start on the flanks. They will look to open up the opposition defence with their pace, flair, and movement. Finally, Igor Thiago will lead the line for Brentford vs Everton this weekend.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kelleher; Kayode, Collins, van den Berg, Henry; Yarmolyuk, Henderson; Lewis-Potter, Damsgaard, Schade; Thiago
The Brentford striker is our key player to watch out for. Igor Thiago has dropped off in form of late this season, but he could cause all sorts of problems for the Everton defence. The 24-year-old will help his teammates create opportunities in the final third, and he will look to find the back of the net as well.
Meanwhile, the Brazilian striker scored in his first three away games in all competitions this season, but he has since netted just twice in his last seven appearances on the road.. The away team will need Thiago to step up and produce a defining performance in the final third if they want to pick up all three points here.
Both teams will look to pick up all three points here, and this will be an evenly matched contest. Everton and Brentford are in a similar vein of form, and it will be difficult to separate them. The two sides are likely to get on the score sheet here, but they could end up cancelling each other out. They are likely to share the spoils in a draw.
