Everton end their pre-season schedule against Lille at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday, with Jarrad Branthwaite set to return in time for the club’s final test before the new campaign. David Moyes wants another clean step forward after the 3-1 win over Newcastle United in Edinburgh, a result that kept the momentum moving in the right direction.
That midweek performance gave Everton plenty to build on. Thierno Barry, Iliman Ndiaye and Tyrique George scored at Murrayfield, and Moyes now has one more chance to settle his side before the competitive season begins. The game kicks off at 3 pm BST and will be available live on evertontv, with one-time match passes priced at £5.99 for supporters who want to watch it from home.
The interest goes beyond the final scoreline. Lille finished third in Ligue 1 last season to secure Champions League football, so this is not a light warm-up on paper, and Davide Ancelotti is back on Merseyside in the opposition dugout after the coaching change at The Stade Pierre-Mauroy. Everton will also be watching their own selection closely, with Jordan Pickford expected to start after missing the squad in Edinburgh and Branthwaite easing back in after hamstring issues that kept him out of the Newcastle win.
There is, though, a clear complication in the build-up. Tim Iroegbunam will not feature after a hamstring injury, even as Everton manage Branthwaite’s return carefully, and that is the sort of trade-off pre-season often leaves behind. Brennan Johnson and Christian Norgaard could make their first Everton appearances, while Merlin Röhl, Tyler Dibling and Jake O’Brien will hope for more minutes after coming on as substitutes in midweek.
So this becomes more than a final friendly. It is the last live check on Everton’s shape, their fitness management and the players who may yet define the next stage of the season, with Saturday’s meeting with Lille offering one final answer before the proper questions begin.
