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Everton head into their opening Premier League clash on Saturday with problems aplenty.

The Toffees haven’t had the easiest of pre-season periods, being hammered 4-0 in their most recent clash against Manchester United, but now they have to make do with a number of absentees.

As Rafa Benitez’s men face Southampton at Goodison Park this weekend, they will be without more than five first-team players.

They have a handful of their squad self-isolating but fortunately Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison are fit enough to play following their respective periods on international duty.

However, with their current squad in disarray, who will Benitez select in his first competitive game at the helm?

Here’s the XI we’re predicting today…

We anticipate the Spanish manager to make two changes to the side which was hammered by Manchester United last weekend.

The first change is up front, where Calvert-Lewin comes into the team ahead of the so-called “embarrassing” £100k-per-week Alex Iwobi, who played incredibly poorly against United.

The England striker’s return will be vital to Everton’s chances this weekend after he ended the 2020/21 campaign with 21 goals to his name.

Another change is just behind him, where James Rodriguez sits out. He is one of the players self-isolating but whether he plays for the club again remains to be seen – the Colombian has been linked with the exit door on a relentless basis this summer.

With Rodriguez missing, Richarlison comes back into the fray to partner Calvert-Lewin. The Brazilian wasn’t involved in pre-season as he was busy playing for Brazil at the Tokyo Olympics.

He played in a central role up front for his country, finishing on five goals for the tournament as they claimed the gold medal. With that in mind, it would be foolish of Benitez to consider Richarlison in any other position but centrally.

Consequently, Demarai Gray and Andros Townsend are handed roles on the wing, being presented with their competitive Everton debuts.

Gray signed in a £1.7m deal from Bayer Leverkusen, while Townsend was acquired on a free transfer following his release from Crystal Palace. Both of them will be keen to assert themselves quickly in Merseyside.

AND in other news, Everton must swoop for “exceptional” 19-goal beast who Rafa said is on “another level”…

French football expert Adam White has hailed Pape Matar Sarr’s potential after he was linked with a move to Aston Villa, who now look likely to miss out on him.

Villa – along with Everton and Newcastle United – have been rumoured to be courting Sarr, who is regarded as one of the most exciting prospects in French football.

Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea were also thought to tracking the Senegal international with the transfer deadline looming. However, according to Sky Sports, Tottenham are now close to signing the player in a blow to the likes of  Villa and Everton.

Sarr broke onto the scene last season, with the midfielder making 26 appearances for French side Metz. He also contributed in the attacking third of the pitch by finding the back of the net four times.

The 18-year-old has started both of Metz’s Ligue 1 fixtures so far this campaign despite rumours he could be on his way to the Premier League.

Get French Football News’ White had endorsed a Villa move for Sarr’s signature, believing the investment would have paid off in the long-term.

He told Football FanCast: “Sarr is quite a versatile player. He’s got a graceful, languid style and plays the box-to-box role.

“Sarr has got so much going for him at such a young age. He had close to a full season in France, has been consistent and progressed remarkably quickly.

“Sarr has a broad skillset and has so much potential to grow even further.”

Many Wolves fans have been left fuming as some news emerged ahead of their game at home against Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday.

As per the official website of the Premier League, it has now been confirmed that Mike Dean will be the on-field referee for the game, while Stuart Attwell will be on VAR duty.

Incidentally, Dean has given more penalty kicks to Man Utd (20) then any other club over the course of his career so far, and the Red Devils are the second-most profitable team in terms of wins (43) behind Chelsea when he is officiating (Transfermarkt).

He has often been accused by the media of making games all about him, and has been involved in controversial Wolves matches because of this (Birmingham Mail).

Wolves fans on Dean appointment

These members of the Molineux faithful fumed as the news was confirmed on Twitter, with one WWFC supporter even going as far as to claim that it is ‘dreadful’:

“We are doomed to 0 pts from first 3 games. Might as well just give Man Utd the points and take the day off.”

Credit: @ceedawn10

“That’s all we need! He never gives us anything!”

Credit: @SteveBromley61

“Premier League and FA are clearly trying to get rid of us”

Credit: @jayson_sheward

“That has just officially ruined my evening!”

Credit: @tony_unsworth

“Dreadful”

Credit: @_JackBish

“Not watching it”Credit: @wutanqcIanIn other news, find out what transfer update has Wanderers talking here!

The Chronicle’s Lee Ryder has dropped an intriguing Newcastle United transfer claim that may excite the club’s fans.

What’s the story?

The Magpies have had a fairly quiet summer window thus far, with only Joe Willock arriving on a permanent basis from Arsenal.

Now, Ryder has claimed on Twitter, that the “club’s chief scout spotted (was) at (a) Championship clash” at the weekend.

Then, in a follow-up article for The Chronicle, Ryder delved in a little deeper, saying: “And notably, Bruce’s head of recruitment Steve Nickson was spotted at Hull City’s bore draw with Bournemouth at the KCOM Stadium at the weekend.

“Nickson may have been running the rule over sought after midfielder David Brooks, who has also been subject of interest from Crystal Palace and is represented by the same agency that the Magpies use regularly for deals.”

Fans may be excited

Given the kind of disappointment that Newcastle fans have endured, not just in terms of their on-pitch performances but their off-the-pitch recruitment, it’d be easy to understand why they may not be overly excited until a new player or two arrives through the door and holds up the famous black and white shirt.

However, news that the Magpies’ chief scout is still very much out and about on scouting missions ahead of deadline day should reassure them and leave them both hopeful and excited over a potentially frantic deadline day finish.

And if Ryder’s theory is right that Nickson had his eye on Bournemouth’s Brooks, then they would be getting a superb player if they do make a move for him.

Speaking exclusively to FFC, former Villa man Lee Hendrie waxed lyrical about the versatile attacker, saying: “I’m a big fan of David Brooks. I’ve seen a fair bit of him this season and he’s an absolute talent, he really is.

“He reminds me of Jack (Grealish). He’s very slight, he’s very mobile and, again, he’s another player that could set the Prem on fire if he’s given a chance.”

He has managed eight goal contributions in 24 Championship games this campaign, and quite appealingly for Smith, he is able to play anywhere behind the striker.

In the £55,000-a-week earning Brooks, Bruce would be getting someone who is able to play both in the number ten role and out wide, with the Welshman’s low centre of gravity and quick turn of pace something to really change the game – his former Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe hailed him as someone who “turns well with the ball” and has “creative flair”.

Last season saw him bag six goals and provide a seven five assists, while he’s enjoyed a fine start to this campaign too, netting three times in just six games.

It’s no wonder then that Chris Wilder, his former boss at Sheffield United, declared him a “match-winner” and someone he wanted to bring back in October last year.

If the Magpies are to make a last-gasp swoop for a player following Nickson’s scouting mission, and Brooks is a man they are indeed targeting, then they could be getting a very fine player indeed with previous Premier League experience to boot.

Ryder’s claim is surely an exciting one for fans.

Meanwhile, Newcastle are eyeing a move for this Premier League star…

Sky Sports pundit Kevin Phillips believes that Glasgow Rangers will have to wait until January to find out whether Connor Goldson will put pen to paper on a new contract.

The Lowdown: Goldson future up in the air

The 28-year-old’s future at Ibrox is up in the air – he has less than a year left on his contract (Transfermarkt) and could leave for free next summer.

The Gers had hoped he would sign a new three-year deal, but so far that has not materialised.

The Latest: Phillips expects January decision

Speaking to Football Insider, Phillips believes that Goldson will wait until the winter transfer window before making a decision on his future at Rangers. The former Sunderland striker said:

“To me, it sounds like he wants to wait until January to see what other clubs will offer him.

“Why would you not have agreed a new deal by now when you have been negotiating for quite a while. It smells a little bit of outside interest.

“Someone is perhaps in his ear telling him to hang fire. I hope that is not the case because I would like to see him stay there.

“But, if a deal has not been struck by now you start to wonder why. The only reason I can think is that people are telling him other clubs will come knocking in January.

“If that is the case I hope it is not false hope they are giving him. We have seen in the past players being tapped up and then not getting a move for whatever reason. Let’s hope that is not the case.

“Ideally his contract gets ironed out and he remains a Rangers player because he is a big player for them.”

The Verdict: Keep him at the club

Phillips is right with that final comment – it is hard to overestimate the importance of Goldson at Ibrox. Already this season, he has played every minute of all nine of Rangers’ matches in all competitions, while WhoScored. While James Tavernier may be club captain, Goldson is an influential leader at the heart of the back four.

Losing him would be bad enough, but to do so on a free transfer would be even worse. Valued at £6.75m by Transfermarkt, he is a huge asset for the Gers, but they face the prospect of failing to recoup a single penny if he departs. Hopefully he decides to stay in Glasgow for the foreseeable future.

In other news, this Rangers man has been urged to leave the club.

Club legend Graham Roberts reckons Tottenham Hotspur failed to make a late move for Noni Madueke because they were not willing to fork out a large fee for a former academy product.

Madueke has caught the eye of numerous clubs during the early weeks of the new season, with Spurs, Manchester United and Bayern Munich among his admirers.

The 19-year-old came through the ranks at Spurs and Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven, Madueke’s current employers, reportedly told the north Londoners it would cost £40million to seal his return just two years after leaving for free.

Madueke, who has already been capped at England under-21 level, has made a flying start to the new campaign and scored six goals in 10 outings.

Spurs’ London rivals Chelsea forked out a club-record £97.5million to seal Romelu Lukaku’s return to Stamford Bridge during the transfer window, but Roberts believes Spurs were unwilling to follow suit and part with a huge fee for their former winger.

Roberts exclusively told The Transfer Tavern: “Chelsea let Lukaku go and then paid £97.5million to get him back. I wasn’t 100 per cent sure on Madueke coming back.”

Lots of Wolves fans have been left raging as some comments emerged from Bruno Lage.

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of his team’s match away at Watford in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon, the Portuguese manager said (via Liam Keen) that the Midlands club need to find the best ‘solutions’ when it comes to their squad size.

‘Solutions’ is was a word that former boss Nuno Espirito Santo, now at Tottenham Hotspur, used to say a lot when speaking to the media, and so obvious comparisons have now been drawn from sections of the fan base.

Nuno’s last season at Molineux was a disappointing one to say the least, as his side ended up finishing in 13th place in top-flight table, and so WWFC supporters do not want to see a repeat of that with their new coach.

Wolves fans on Lage comments

These Wanderers were left fuming as the comments made by Lage were shared by Keen on Twitter:

“Oh dear… “solutions””

Credit: @WolvesFirst

“Don’t say it, don’t say it, don’t say it…..”

Credit: @DannyRosamond

“Solutions are back, not a good sign”

Credit: @SamJGollings

“Someone should have told him to never use the word solutions”

Credit: @jckwebster

“Oh no”

Credit: @cal_wolvesfc

“Oh god he said “SOLUTIONS”……”

Credit: @Wolvethroughan1

In other news, find out what transfer news has Wanderers fuming here!

Lots of Wolves fans have been left buzzing as an exciting update emerged on the talented Morgan Gibbs-White.

As shared by the official Twitter page of Sheffield United, the Midlands club loanee managed to score after just a few minutes of their EFL Championship home game against Preston North End, in which they eventually drew 2-2.

Gibbs-White was the highest-rated Blades player on Sofascore (7.5), as he managed to win three of his duels, and also record three key passes and two accurate long balls in the match (Sofascore).

Nonetheless, the central midfield player is clearly enjoying his loan spell away from Molineux, and it looks like it is paying off so far, with Bruno Lage surely keeping a close eye on his progress.

Wolves fans on Gibbs-White news

These WWFC supporters were left buzzing as the news of Gibbs-White’s goal was shared on Twitter, with one Wanderer even going as far as to claim that the Englishman was a ‘baller’:

“Bossing it”

Credit: @cal_wolvesfc

“Baller”

Credit: @andyturnock

“The boy is a player!!! Come back soon”

Credit: @bo88om

“Go on lad”

Credit: @wwfcglover

“What a player”

Credit: @_tomwwfc

“Legend”

Credit: @wwfcsam1

In other news, find out what news before Brentford has Wanderers fuming here!

The bad news just keeps on coming for Celtic and Ange Postecoglou right now.

The Hoops have lost their last two matches and injury blows continue to plague the Glasgow based side.

It’s a sad eventuality for the manager who had made some strong improvements to the Celtic team since his arrival.

Kyogo Furuhashi is still out injured, though, while Greg Taylor is set to miss the next 12 games because of a shoulder problem.

Yet, in a fresh blow, they will still be without Callum McGregor for their tie with Raith Rovers on Thursday evening.

Postecoglou was optimistic about the captain’s return to the team last Sunday against Livingston but he didn’t even make the squad.

The manager then admitted he was hopeful of having the Scot back for their League Cup tie in midweek but he’s now been ruled out of that game too and it has now been confirmed that he’s even facing a race to be fit for their clash in a week’s time with Bayer Leverkusen.

This is a seismic blow to Celtic, particularly if he’s going to be out for another week.

It comes at a particularly unfortunate time with both Ismaila Soro and James McCarthy struggling to cement themselves in the last seven days.

Soro looked like a red card waiting to happen against Real Betis last Thursday and was fortunate not to be given his marching orders after a few mistimed tackles in the first half.

All of that led to his substitution just minutes into the second period.

McCarthy came in for the diminutive midfielder against Livi but was also extremely abject. He surrendered possession on 15 occasions and failed to provide the team with any attacking actions.

Early reports state the Irishman wasn’t one of Celtic’s first choice options in the market this summer and that he’s already struggling with the intensity of Postecoglou’s methods.

This has only elevated McGregor’s importance to the team. Being club captain, he is already a monumental figure at Parkhead but the displays of his midfield colleagues in the last week have made him irreplaceable.

With Celtic stuck in a rut, the manager is likely to be increasingly gutted about the skipper’s fitness.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Jota: Celtic must unleash rarely-seen 19 y/o who “looks the part”…

With Steve Cooper’s Nottingham Forest side heading into Wednesday night’s fixture on the back of a promising first performance under the 41-year-old manager last weekend, the Reds would certainly have been hoping for yet another fine display, and perhaps even their first win, under the leadership of the Welshman at Barnsley.

And Forest did not disappoint, as second-half goals Philip Zinckernagel, Brennan Johnson and Lewis Grabban helped to secure a highly impressive turnaround at Oakwell, after Cauley Woodrow has given the hosts the lead in the 20th minute of the match, with the Garibaldi running out 3-1 winners.

The result sees the Reds move out of the Championship relegation zone for the first time since matchday one, however, while the club’s small climb up the second tier standings will undoubtedly have delighted Cooper, the level of performances from a number of his players in the fixture is sure to have pleased the 41-year-old much more – none less so than the display of Philip Zinckernagel.

Three key passes

Having been deployed at centre-forward as a result of Lewis Grabban’s slight knock, the right-winger thrived in the position, playing an influential role in two of Forest’s goals on the night.

Indeed, over his 90 minutes on the pitch, the £2.7m-rated man scored one goal, registered one assist and created one big chance for his teammates, as well as hitting the target with all three of his shots at goal, making three key passes and completing one cross.

The 26-year-old who Xisco Munoz dubbed a “brilliant” talent also helped out in a defensive capacity, making one clearance, two tackles and winning four duels against the Tykes.

These returns saw the former Denmark U20 international receive a SofaScore match rating of 8.1, a score which, aside from fellow Nottingham Forest forward Brennan Johnson, bettered any other player to feature in the match.

As such, while Grabban’s pre-match fitness concerns initially looked to cause something of a selection headache for Cooper – as the 41-year-old’s other option up top, Lyle Taylor, has far from been in the best form of his life this season – Zinckernagel’s show-stealing performance as the lone striker will have given the Welshman confidence that the winger can more than fill in for the 33-year-old centre-forward if required.

In other news: Forest dealt potential blow on “incredible” £3.6m-rated ace, Cooper would be gutted