Premier LeagueEverton eye move to sign Monaco star Mika Biereth

Everton and Bournemouth will take to the field at MetLife Stadium for the first fixture in this year’s Premier League Summer Series on Saturday.

 

Stepping out at the venue which hosted the Club World Cup final earlier this month, and will stage the World Cup final next summer, the two will also battle against Manchester United and West Ham United later in this pre-season tournament.

 

Match preview

 

A huge month is ahead for Everton, who are still lagging behind where they would have wanted to be at this stage of preseason, ahead of their move into their new stadium on Bramley-Moore Dock.

 

David Moyes’s side played their first game at Hill Dickinson Stadium before flying Stateside, needing to come from behind to beat Port Vale 2-1, after losing at Blackburn Rovers, and only drawing with League Two Accrington Stanley.

 

It has been slightly quiet on the transfer front, with the club only adding one new first-team face to the squad in Thierno Barry, despite Moyes demanding a host of new reinforcements ahead of the new season.

 

The Everton manager had a huge impact with the resources at his disposal last season, quickly averting any relegation fears, and lifting the club into 13th, finishing a whopping 23 points above the drop zone.

 

Everton supporters will now want the club to kick on and aim higher during the 2025-26 season, and they still have three weeks to get in tip top shape ahead of the new campaign.

 

Their first Premier League opponents will be Bournemouth, who completed a league double over them last season, including an astounding 3-2 win for the Cherries at Goodison Park, despite them trailing 2-0 on 87 minutes.

 

 

Andoni Iraola’s men inflicted the last of Sean Dyche’s defeats before his sacking, before also knocking the Blues out of the FA Cup after Moyes’s arrival.

 

There will be a different look to Bournemouth next season though, especially at the back, with Milos Kerkez and Dean Huijsen already departing, and Illia Zabarnyi likely to follow, so a big job is on the hands of Iraola, who guided the club to their best ever top-flight finish last season, ending on 56 points in ninth.

 

There have been no issues as of yet this summer though, as the Cherries beat Hibernian 2-1, before a 6-2 win over Bristol City in a three-halved affair last week.

 

Real Sociedad will travel to the Vitality after Bournemouth are done with their Summer Series commitments, ahead of their opening fixture against Liverpool at Anfield on Friday August 15.

 

 

 

New signing Barry could make his first appearance in Everton blue after joining up for his first training session with the squad this week.

 

Jarrad Branthwaite will not be present here though, as he has not travelled with the squad to the USA as a precaution due a minor injury picked up in the last few days.

 

Carlos Alcaraz netted the first senior goal for Everton at their new stadium on Tuesday, before James Garner fired home a wonderful free kick, and both should be in the side for this one, with James Tarkowski and Seamus Coleman the only other injury absentees.

 

Bournemouth have added Djordje Petrovic to their ranks with Kepa Arrizabalaga’s loan having expired and Mark Travers making the move to their upcoming opponents, so the Serbian keeper could be in from the start here.

 

The Cherries were also quick to bring Adrien Truffert in as Liverpool-bound Kerkez’s replacement, and he should feature, along with Julian Araujo, who has returned to training after being granted extended leave following his Gold Cup commitments with Mexico.

 

Alex Scott was afforded the same after being part of England’s Under-21 squad this summer and could get some minutes, but Enes Unal and Ryan Christie remain sidelined.