The third round of the 2025/26 FA Cup will continue on Saturday. The proceedings on an action-packed day will kick off with four early fixtures, including Everton vs Sunderland at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Everton and Sunderland are both coming into this fixture on the back of deflating winless results, and they will thus be eager to return to winning ways this weekend and script a memorable FA Cup run.
Everton’s solid start to the 2025/26 season has given way to a wobbly period in recent weeks. The Toffees have won only one of their last six games, with the run of results dropping them to 12th in the Premier League standings. The latest setback was a 1-1 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers, as they squandered a slender lead and ended the match with nine men.
On the other hand, Sunderland’s unbeaten run ended with a 3-0 defeat to Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium earlier this week. However, many felt a defeat was round the corner for the Wearside outfit, as they were already on a four-match winless streak, showing little signs of being consistent scorers. The Black Cats have thus fallen to tenth in the Premier League standings, and the FA Cup clash will be a welcome distraction.
Everton and Sunderland have already clashed once this season, with the Black Cats coming from a goal down to clinch a point at the Stadium of Light, with Granit Xhaka scoring the equaliser. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
David Moyes has new roster issues hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Everton manager will be bereft of the services of as many as eight first-team players vs Sunderland on Saturday.
Michael Keane and Jack Grealish are the latest absentees after being sent off in the game against Wolverhampton Wanderers earlier this week. Seamus Coleman (hamstring), Jarrad Branthwaite (thigh), Carlos Alcaraz (knock), and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (thigh) remain in the treatment room. Meanwhile, Idrissa Gueye and Iliman Ndiaye are still at the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal.
Mark Travers will replace Jordan Pickford between the sticks, with Everton lining up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of him vs Sunderland on Saturday. The backline will feature Nathan Patterson, Jake O’Brien, James Tarkowski, and Adam Aznou.
As for the midfield unit, Merlin Rohl and Tim Iroegbunam will line up alongside James Garner in the middle of the park. Finally, Beto will lead the line for Everton against Sunderland, with Dwight McNeil and Tyler Dibling being the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Travers; Patterson, O’Brien, Tarkowski, Aznou; Rohl, Garner, Iroegbunam; Dibling, Beto, McNeil
Unlike his counterpart in the Everton dugout, Regis Le Bris has received positive updates on the team news front ahead of the trip to the Hill Dickinson Stadium. The Sunderland manager may be without only three first-team players on Saturday.
Arthur Masuaku (DR Congo), Reinildo Mandava (Mozambique), Noah Sadiki (DR Congo), and Bertrand Traore (Burkina Faso) are no longer at the Africa Cup of Nations with their national teams, with only Habib Diarra (Senegal) and Chemsdine Talbi (Morocco) remaining at the continental event. Aji Alese (shoulder) is still in the treatment room, while Wilson Isidor (knock) faces a late fitness test to determine his availability.
Anthony Patterson will replace Robin Roefs between the sticks, with Sunderland lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Everton on Saturday. The backline will feature Nordi Mukiele, Omar Alderete, Luke O’Nien, and Dennis Cirkin.
As for the midfield unit, Dan Neil will line up alongside Granit Xhaka in the double pivot, with Enzo Le Fee reprising the no. 10 role. Finally, Brian Brobbey will spearhead the Sunderland attack against Everton, with Simon Adingra and Romaine Mundle being the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Patterson; Mukiele, Alderete, O’Nien, Cirkin; Xhaka, Neil; Adingra, Le Fee, Mundle; Brobbey
While Tyler Dibling, Granit Xhaka, and Brian Brobbey were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Beto as the Player to Watch for Saturday’s FA Cup clash between Everton and Sunderland at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
The Guinea-Bissau international has not been at his best this season, compelling Everton to reportedly scour the market for a striker. Meanwhile, recent reports have linked Beto with several well-known clubs. The 27-year-old will thus hope to prove his naysayers wrong and guide the Merseyside outfit to the next round, making Saturday’s match a crucial outing for him.
Two teams that have struggled to score goals consistently often compete in an action-packed affair when you put them together in a setting like the FA Cup. So, an end-to-end clash is on the cards, and we may even go beyond regulation time.
However, while the game will go down to the wire, a late strike may do the trick, with Brian Brobbey and Granit Xhaka delivering the goods for the away side. The Hard Tackle predicts a hard-fought 2-1 win for Regis Le Bris and his charges.
