Preview: Accrington Stanley vs Everton - prediction, team news, lineups

Everton will begin their preparations for the 2025-26 Premier League campaign with a friendly against League Two outfit Accrington Stanley at the Crown Ground on Tuesday.

The Toffees will open their new Premier League season against Leeds United on August 18, while Accrington's League Two campaign will begin at home to Gillingham on August 2.

Match preview

Accrington finished 21st in League Two last season, with a disappointing campaign seeing them pick up only 50 points from 46 matches, but they were eight points clear of the relegation zone.

John Doolan's side will therefore again play in England's fourth tier next term, and they have already started their preparations for the new campaign in terms of friendlies, losing 2-1 to Blackburn Rovers on July 12.

Accrington are building towards the start of their 2025-26 League Two season, with their opening match coming against Gillingham on August 2, so the new campaign is just around the corner.

The Reds have made three signings so far this summer, with Freddie Sass, Isaac Sinclair and Oliver Wright arriving, while there have been a number of first-team departures, including Seb Quirk and Liam Isherwood.

Everton, meanwhile, ended last season in 13th spot in the Premier League table, with David Moyes doing an excellent job after returning to Goodison Park as head coach.

The Toffees will certainly be looking to push for a top-half spot in the new campaign, and their pre-season begins against Accrington on Tuesday before tackling Championship team Blackburn on July 19.

Moyes's side will then head to the United States to take part in the Premier League Summer Series, with the Merseyside club set to tackle Bournemouth, West Ham United and Manchester United in that competition.

Everton will then round off their pre-season against Roma on August 9, with that match coming nine days before their 2025-26 Premier League opener against Leeds at Elland Road.

The Toffees have made two signings so far this summer, bringing in Thierno Barry and Carlos Alcaraz, while there have been a number of exits, including Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who has been allowed to depart on a free transfer.

Accrington friendly form:

L

Team News

Accrington are likely to have three new faces on display in this match, with left-back Sass, right-sided attacker Sinclair and goalkeeper Wright all in line for valuable minutes at this stage of pre-season.

Head coach Doolan will make full use of his squad, so it is possible that two different XIs will feature in each half.

Kelsey Mooney is expected to lead the Accrington line from the first whistle, while Shaun Whalley is also set to be in involved at the start of the contest on Tuesday.

As for Everton, Barry is in line to make his debut in the final third of the field; the 22-year-old scored 11 times for Villarreal last season and is expected to be in the XI for the Premier League club.

Alcaraz, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Everton, is also in line to debut, having made the move to Goodison Park on a permanent basis this summer.

Head coach Moyes is expected to select a strong starting side before making changes at the interval, with Jarrad Branthwaite, who has recently signed a new long-term deal, set to be in the first XI.

Accrington possible starting lineup:

Wright; Love, Rawson, Matthews, Sass; Coyle, Conneely; Walton, Henderson, Whalley; Mooney

Everton possible starting lineup:

Pickford; Patterson, Keane, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Garner, Gueye; Ndiaye, Alcaraz, McNeil; Barry

We say: Accrington 0-2 Everton

Accrington are ahead of Everton in terms of their preparations for the new campaign, but the Toffees can call upon so much quality, and we are expecting the Premier League side to kick off their pre-season with a victory.

Written by
Matt Law

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