Liverpool, Aug 24 (IANS) Summer signings Jack Grealish, Thierno Barry and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall all start Everton’s first-ever competitive match at Hill Dickinson Stadium as the Blues face Brighton & Hove Albion, after the club changed their base from Goodison Park.

Head coach David Moyes stated that playing at a new stadium is never easy.

“When I came in last year, I felt pressure to get results to stay in the Premier League, then I felt pressure to win the last game at Goodison, so you can always put pressure on things.

“We’ve had the chance to play down there a couple of times already, so we hope we can get used to it quickly. Everybody knows playing at a new stadium is never that easy,” said Moyes in the build-up to the clash.

France Under-21 international Barry will lead Everton’s attack, ahead of Iliman Ndiaye, Grealish and Dewsbury-Hall, while Tim Iroegbunam is set to partner Idrissa Gana Gueye again as the defensive midfielders.

With Jarrad Branthwaite, Vitalii Mykolenko and Nathan Patterson still out injured, the hosts’ defence is expected to stay the same from Leeds: James Garner at left-back, Jake O’Brien on the other side of the backline, and James Tarkowski and Michael Keane the central defenders in front of Jordan Pickford.

Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler has named only one chance to the Brighton starting XI to take on Everton at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Danny Welbeck has been restored to the line-up in place of Georginio Rutter.

Squads:

Everton: Pickford, Keane, Tarkowski, Ndiaye, Barry, O’Brien, Grealish, Dewsbury-Hall, Gueye, Garner, Iroegbunam.

Subs: Travers, McNeil, Beto, Chermiti, Coleman, Alcaraz, Aznou,

Armstrong, Onyango.

Brighton & Hove Albion: Verbruggen, Dunk, Van Hecke, Minteh, Baleba, Welbeck, Mitoma, Ayari, Wieffer, De Cuyper, O’Riley.

Subs: Steele, Gruda, Hinshelwood, Boscagli, Milner, Kadioglu, Gomez, Veltman, Coppola.

–IANS

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