James Garner axed, Dominic Calvert-Lewin call made – Everton predicted XI v Arsenal

Dwight McNeil is set to make his first Premier League start of the season when Everton host Arsenal on Sunday [17 September].

The winger was injured for the first three league games of the season, but he came in as a second-half replacement in the 2-2 draw with Sheffield United before the international break.

If versatile wideman McNeil starts against Arsenal, one of Arnaut Danjuma or James Garner will miss out, with the latter having started all four games so far.

Dyche will have more alternatives in that area of the field shortly, as Jack Harrison has been training this week, but the Leeds United loanee is not likely to make his debut just yet.

The second key decision Dyche will have to make this weekend is up front, where new recruit Beto has led the line in the absence of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who has now recovered from the face injury he suffered on the opening weekend.

Calvert-Lewin’s skill is widely known, but Dyche will find no reason to drop Beto based on his recent performances, and a two-striker system is certainly not viable in this match.

Beto did not score in his Premier League debut against Sheffield United, but he did complete six dribbles – no other Everton player completed more than one [WhoScored].

Former Everton player Michael Ball described Beto as a “different animal” who can provide a “element of surprise” up against Arsenal’s defense in his Liverpool Echo column [12 September].

Assuming the returning international players, goalkeeper Jordan Pickford among them, report back to Finch Farm injury-free, then any further changes beyond McNeil coming in seem unlikely.

That could mean a back four of Nathan Patterson, James Tarkowski, Jarrad Branthwaite and Ashley Young, with Amadou Onana and Idrissa Gana Gueye in holding midfield and Abdoulaye Doucoure slightly more advanced.

Youssef Chermiti could provide an attacking option from the bench, having so far been restricted to just 24 minutes in the Premier League since arriving in the summer.

In other Everton news, unnamed agents have shared a sack verdict on Dyche ahead of the visit of Arsenal.