Match prediction·England: EFL Cup·Wednesday 26 Aug, 19:00 UTC

Preston North End vs Everton

Bawler weighs each team's recent scoring and defending, then adjusts for home advantage and injuries to work out how this match is likely to go. This page shows the full chain — every number we used.

📊 Win probability
37.3% home32.5% draw30.2% away
📈 xG chain — base → adjustments → final goal estimate
Preston North EndstepEverton
1.37Base xG · rolling 26-match1.22
no injury adjustment — full squads available per FotMob
1.37Final goal estimate — what the model uses1.22

Preston average 5.4 corners per game at home this season (25 competitive matches). Everton average 4.3 corners per game away from home this season (21 competitive matches).

🎯 Scoreline distribution · chance of each scoremodel estimate
0
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0
8
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1
10
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home windrawaway win

Team news — absences and latest club updates· as of 13 Aug 2026

EvertonAway
Unavailable / doubtful
  • James GarnerGroin surgery during pre-season
    Expected return: Back in first-team training around Premier League opening week; Goodison News (25 Jul) says he is 'almost…
  • Jarrad BranthwaiteHamstring (curtailed 2025/26); returned ahead of schedule
    Expected return: Already back — played 45 minutes v Bolton 25 Jul, rested v Stoke as a precaution.
  • Tyler DiblingMinor knock
    Expected return: Missed Bolton, expected back v Stoke. Not a long-term concern.
  • Hayden HackneyKnock carried over from end of 2025/26
    Expected return: Missed Dundee and Bolton; started/expected debut v Stoke 28 Jul. Effectively available.
Latest updates
  • 13 Aug · Departure
    Dwight McNeil joins Crystal Palace on four-year deal in Johnson swap
    McNeil, 26, left Everton for Crystal Palace on 11 Aug as the other half of the Johnson deal, signing a four-year contract.
  • 13 Aug · Signing
    Everton sign Brennan Johnson from Crystal Palace on four-year deal
    Everton and Crystal Palace confirmed a rare straight swap on 11 Aug: Wales winger Brennan Johnson joins Everton on a four-year deal for an undisclosed fee, seven months after a £35m move…

Club news is gathered once a day from club statements and reporting, last on 13 Aug 2026. It is not a confirmed team sheet — squads are named about an hour before kick-off, after this page was built, so late fitness news may not appear above.

Predicted lineups — expected XI, not a confirmed team sheet

EvertonAway4-2-3-1 · shape not settled
Goalkeeper
GKJordan Pickford
Defence
RBJake O'Brien (a centre-back filling in; club actively seeking a specialist RB)CBJames Tarkowski (c)CBJarrad BranthwaiteLBVitalii Mykolenko
Midfield
CMTim IroegbunamCMHayden Hackney / Merlin RöhlAMKiernan Dewsbury-Hall
Attack
RWTyler DiblingLWIliman Ndiaye (subject to Al-Hilal interest)STThierno Barry / Beto
Selection doubts
  • STRIKER — Thierno Barry vs Beto, genuinely wide open.
  • RIGHT-BACK — Everton's biggest hole.

Our projected starting elevens from squad news as of 30 July 2026 — not team sheets. Clubs confirm their starting elevens around an hour before kick-off, after this page was built. Only one side in this fixture is covered by our squad dossiers.

Early projection

These are the model's current numbers for a fixture that hasn't come round yet. They firm up on matchday, once team news and lineups are in — and once the model's call is locked it's never edited, which is what makes the track record mean anything.

Fantasy angle — top FPL picks in this fixture (2026/27 projections)

TarkowskiTarkowskiEVE · DEF · £6.0m3.6 pts
Dewsbury-HallDewsbury-HallEVE · MID · £6.5m3.3 pts
NdiayeNdiayeEVE · MID · £6.0m3.1 pts
All projected points →

More predictions for these teams

Preston vs Everton — Head-to-Head

This is the first meeting Bawler has on record between Preston and Everton — the model's ledger starts at model launch, so no earlier fixtures between these two sides have been logged and settled yet.

The model's verdict for this fixture: Preston 37% · draw 33% · Everton 30%.

Model probabilities are edge estimates for entertainment — not betting advice, and past performance does not guarantee future results. 18+.

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Model estimates from rolling expected goals — not guaranteed outcomes. Past accuracy does not guarantee future results.