Everton preview: Bolton test comes with a long injury list

CompetitionPre-season friendly
DateSaturday 25 July 2026
Kick-off3:00pm BST
VenueToughsheet Community Stadium, Bolton
Streamingevertontv, £5.99 match pass
Everton away ticketsSold out

Everton continue their pre-season programme at Bolton Wanderers this afternoon, the first of six fixtures — Stoke City, Hamburger SV, Stuttgart, Newcastle United and Lille to follow — before the Premier League opener against Crystal Palace on 22 August.

David Moyes’ side opened with a routine 4-0 win over Dundee last Saturday. Beto, Thierno Barry, Harvey Foster and Dwight McNeil scored.

Everton’s away allocation for Bolton has sold out; supporters who can’t travel can stream the game via evertontv for £5.99.

The squad heading to the Toughsheet Community Stadium is short of several key names. James Garner has a groin issue and won’t be risked. Jarrad Branthwaite and Hayden Hackney trained fully in Scotland but sat out the Dundee game as a precaution.

Iliman Ndiaye, Nathan Patterson and Jordan Pickford remain on holiday after their World Cup involvement.

Likely XI:

Travers in goal, O’Brien, Tarkowski, Keane and Mykolenko across the back four, Röhl, Iroegbunam and Dewsbury-Hall in midfield, McNeil, Barry and George ahead of them.

Bolton go into the game managed by Steven Schumacher, a product of Everton’s own academy, off the back of promotion from League One after beating Stockport County 4-1 at Wembley.

Their pre-season since has been mixed — a 2-1 defeat to Slovakian side Dunajska Streda, then a 3-1 win over Oldham Athletic.

Winger Ruben Rodrigues, who scored twice at Wembley and again netted a brace against Oldham, looks the main threat, alongside striker Sam Dalby, who managed 14 goals and eight assists last season.

Bolton have lost two of last season’s best performers, Mason Burstow and Amario Cozier-Duberry, back to their parent clubs, Hull and Brighton.

With Everton’s World Cup players still working their way back and the first-choice spine largely absent, this is a chance for fringe players and academy prospects to catch Moyes’s eye before squad numbers settle.

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Gary is an experienced football journalist who has written for, among many others, BBC Sport and The Metro, and is now the editor of ReadEverton.com. He leads daily coverage of Everton news, transfers and analysis as part of the dave.sport network. He also writes for ReadManCity.com, ReadMotorsport and ReadNorwich within the same network. When not writing, he enjoys a nice cold pint of Guinness and trips to the cinema ... not always at the same time.

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