Everton Aim for Victory at Deepdale Against Struggling Preston
The EFL Cup has rarely been kind to Everton, but they arrive at Deepdale on Wednesday night looking every inch a Premier League side in rhythm against a Championship team still trying to find its feet.
Kick-off is 8pm under the lights, live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football. On paper, it looks like a mismatch. On the touchline, it’s a reunion.
David Moyes returns to the club where he first made his name as a manager between 1998 and 2002. Sentiment, though, will be parked. His job is simple: keep Everton’s season humming and avoid becoming the story in a cup upset.
Everton sharp, Preston stumbling
Everton’s opening to the Premier League campaign set the tone. They beat Crystal Palace 2-0 at Goodison Park, a game that crackled from the first whistle and showed a side already up to speed.
They rode a few early jolts. Palace squandered two big first-half chances, but once Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall whipped in a superb opener, Everton tightened their grip and never loosened it. That readiness stands out at a time when several top-flight clubs have looked a step short of full sharpness.
Moyes may shuffle his pack with Saturday’s trip to Bournemouth looming, and Dewsbury-Hall is among those who could be handed a breather. Even so, he knows the mood among Everton supporters. They want more than Premier League survival or mid-table comfort; they want a proper crack at the cups. Expect experience in the XI and quality stacked on the bench.
Everton’s consistency in this competition is no accident. They have been present in every EFL Cup third-round draw since 2002. That run is no guarantee of silverware, but it underlines how rarely they stumble at this stage.
Preston, by contrast, are already feeling the strain of a poor start.
Paul Heckingbottom’s side have opened their Championship season with back-to-back defeats, and not the kind you can easily dress up. A 2-1 derby loss at Bolton exposed them in a flat first half. The 3-1 home defeat to Wolves was worse: one-sided, bruising, and every bit as emphatic as the scoreline.
By the time Jordan Thompson swept in a stoppage-time consolation, Wolves were 3-0 up and cruising. The late goal barely registered as a footnote.
A squad short on goals and confidence
The deeper Preston dig into their attacking options, the more troubling the picture becomes.
They were not prolific last season, scoring 55 goals in 46 league matches. Their leading marksman, Lewis Dobbin, hit double figures and has gone. His loan from Aston Villa has ended and he has moved on to Southampton.
Milutin Osmajic chipped in with eight league goals but was left out of the weekend squad as he prepares for a transfer to Genoa. Jusef Erabi, the only senior centre-forward available, limped off midway through the second half against Wolves and is now a doubt.
That leaves Heckingbottom short of firepower and relying on late transfer business to drag his squad up to Championship standard. The long-term plan is to be competitive; the short-term reality is harsher. Preston need points quickly, and that may shape his thinking here with a crucial trip to Charlton on the horizon.
All of this comes against a grim backdrop of numbers. North End have lost five of their last seven matches. They have gone 18 games without a clean sheet. They have conceded first in seven of their last eight fixtures. This is not a team that starts well or shuts games down.
Depth and intent tilt tie Everton’s way
Everton, in contrast, have found a habit of hitting the net. They have scored in eight of their last nine fixtures and carry threat from multiple areas of the pitch.
Moyes is expected to rotate, but the drop-off is not severe. A predicted 4-2-3-1 with Jordan Pickford behind a back four of Nathan Patterson, James Tarkowski, Michael Keane and Vitaliy Mykolenko still screams Premier League nous. In midfield, Lewis Travis Armstrong and Hayden Hackney offer legs and control, with Iliman Ndiaye, Carlos Alcaraz and Jack Harrison Johnson operating behind the central striker.
On the bench, there is scope to change the tempo again, with the likes of Dewsbury-Hall and Jarrad Branthwaite in reserve. Timothy Iroegbunam (adductor) and Christian Norgaard (match fitness) are not available, but Everton’s depth should more than cover for that.
Preston’s likely 4-2-3-1 looks far lighter on proven punch. Freddie Iversen is set to start in goal, with Pol Valentin, Jordan Storey, Liam Gibson and Nikola Vukcevic across the back. Ali McCann and Thompson form the double pivot, with Delano Burgzorg, Kian Devine and Mikey Small supporting Will Lang up front.
Heckingbottom’s bench options – including Clarke, Hughes, Lindsay, Leroy, Erabi, Gryba and Moran – reflect a squad still in flux. It’s no surprise that the manager is under pressure and looking anxiously towards the end of the transfer window.
Beto ready to lead the line
One name stands out in this tie: Beto.
The powerful Everton centre-forward is expected to be promoted from the bench to lead the line at Deepdale. He finished last league campaign as the club’s top scorer with nine goals. He is not a ruthlessly efficient finisher, but he is a magnet for chances, constantly on the move, constantly involved.
Against a Preston defence that has been stretched and exposed for months, his presence feels significant. He is fancied to strike first and could easily turn a tight opening into a comfortable away night.
Everton’s superiority is reflected in the market. Preston are 19-4 to win in 90 minutes, Everton are 8-15, with the draw at 10-3. The Toffees are also fancied on the Asian handicap at -1, a nod to the expectation that, if they get ahead, they have the tools to pull away.
A popular bet builder centres on Everton to qualify, Beto to score at any time, and Jordan Storey to be carded – the Preston centre-back collected ten bookings last season and is likely to be under constant strain again.
History, pressure and a familiar face
Strip it all back and the story writes itself.
Everton, hardened by the Premier League and buoyed by a strong start, arrive with depth, structure and a clear plan. Preston, still on zero points in the league and stripped of key forwards, are scrambling for form and identity while their manager fights the early-season noise.
Moyes knows Deepdale better than most. He also knows what happens when a top-flight side allows a struggling lower-league team a sniff of hope in a cup tie. The margins tighten. The crowd senses something. The narrative twists.
Everton have made a habit of avoiding that scenario in the EFL Cup’s early rounds. With their quality, their momentum, and a centre-forward like Beto straining for his first start of the season, can Preston really keep them at arm’s length for long?
