Everton Predicted XI vs Tottenham: Grealish Returns to Starting Line-Up

Everton travel to north London knowing exactly what usually happens to them there. One goal in their last five away games at Tottenham. One. The record is bleak and everyone inside Finch Farm will be aware of it, whether they mention it or not. Patterns don’t decide matches, but they do set a tone. This is one Everton have to rip up.

Moyes Keeps It Quiet, Spurs Under the Spotlight

David Moyes has stripped things back this week. No noise, no theatrics, just work. Those around the camp talk about players and staff “mucking in” – an old-school phrase that fits an old-school manager trying to steady a mixed start. It’s been low-key, almost deliberately dull. For Everton, that’s not the worst place to be.

Tottenham are the ones walking into the glare. A summer outlay north of £250 million, one point from three league games, no goals scored. That combination doesn’t just raise eyebrows, it invites questions in capital letters. For Everton, it’s a window of opportunity. But anyone expecting Spurs to simply fold has not been paying attention to this league for very long.

Team News: Grealish Changes the Picture

All eyes are on Jack Grealish. Moyes confirmed in his pre-match press conference that the England international is ready to start, and that single decision shifts the feel of Everton’s attack.

Grealish brings control. He carries the ball through pressure, buys fouls, dictates tempo. He can slow a game to walking pace or accelerate it in a heartbeat. For a side that often struggles to hold the ball away from home, that matters.

James Garner is the question mark. He went off injured last week and Moyes has not provided a clear update, leaving a hole of uncertainty in central midfield. Christian Nørgaard is definitely out but expected back after the international break, which as it stands makes him the only confirmed absentee.

The squad at Moyes’ disposal is familiar. In goal: Jordan Pickford, with Mark Travers and King as cover. Defensively, he can choose from Jarrad Branthwaite, Michael Keane, Jake O'Brien, James Tarkowski, Vitaliy Mykolenko, Nathan Patterson and Ainsley Maitland-Niles.

Further forward, the options widen but remain thin in experience in places: Harrison Armstrong, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Garner, Hayden Hackney, Merlin Röhl, Charly Alcaraz, Tyler Dibling, Tyrique George, Brennan Johnson, Grealish and Thierno Barry.

Predicted Line-Up: 4-1-4-1 and a Big Call in Midfield

Moyes is expected to stick with the 4-1-4-1 shape that has framed much of Everton’s pre-season. It gives them a clear defensive structure and a platform for the ball-players to operate between the lines.

If Garner is not deemed fit enough to start, Hayden Hackney is the obvious choice to anchor midfield. He came off the bench last weekend and immediately raised the tempo, snapping into challenges and using the ball with more purpose than some of those he replaced. He looked ready.

The likely XI:

• Goalkeeper: Jordan Pickford
• Defence: Ainsley Maitland-Niles, James Tarkowski, Jarrad Branthwaite, Vitaliy Mykolenko
• Midfield: Hayden Hackney as the deepest player
• Ahead of him: Jack Grealish, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Merlin Röhl
• Attack: Tyrique George from wide, Thierno Barry through the middle

Tyrique George has done enough to keep his place. His direct running and willingness to stretch defences give Everton something they have lacked in recent visits to Spurs – a genuine outlet. Barry, meanwhile, is expected to lead the line again, asked to occupy centre-backs and make those thankless runs that create space for Grealish and company.

Bench Thin Again, Decisions Tight

The substitutes’ bench is likely to look light once more. That is simply Everton’s reality this season and something Moyes will have to juggle, especially if the game becomes stretched.

Travers, Keane and O'Brien provide defensive cover. Armstrong offers energy and pressing from the front, the kind of late cameo that can rattle tired legs. Alcaraz and Dibling bring a different tempo and a touch of unpredictability if Moyes needs to change the rhythm.

Brennan Johnson was quiet last weekend but remains an intriguing option. His motivation is obvious: prove he should be starting, especially in a side that has not yet found its attacking fluency.

Garner’s fitness could shuffle the pack. If he is declared ready, Moyes has a big call to make in the middle of the pitch. If there is any doubt, though, the logic is clear – this is not the stage of the season to gamble on a half-fit midfielder.

Everton Need Precision, Not Just Grit

There is no great tactical secret here. To get anything in north London, Everton must be compact, aggressive and switched on for 90 minutes. They have to be harder to play through than they have been on recent visits.

Effort alone will not be enough. Shape matters. Concentration matters. But what will decide this is what has so often let Everton down in these fixtures: ruthlessness. When chances appear – and against a Tottenham side still searching for fluency, they will – they must be taken.

If Grealish settles quickly into his starting role and Hackney brings the balance Moyes is banking on, Everton have a clear route into the game. If those pieces don’t click, that grim record in north London might start to feel less like history and more like a habit they still cannot shake.