Everton are six games into the season and unbeaten in the league, but Ipswich at Everton vs Ipswich on Saturday feels like the first home game that needs to turn resilience into something more convincing. They have already scraped out late equalisers against Bournemouth and Manchester United, taken a valuable point at Tottenham Hotspur and reached the last 16 of the Carabao Cup. That is a decent opening. It is not yet a statement.

Everton's early points and late recoveries

The results have been awkward in the best possible way. Everton have gone unbeaten in their last six league matches, and the sequence has been built around staying alive late rather than blowing teams away. The run is three draws followed by a win, which fits the feel of the side so far.

David Moyes called the recent display “gutsy” and described the point as “well-earned” after the latest fightback. That line matches what has happened on the pitch: Everton have found ways to keep moving while the squad has been stretched, but the next question is whether they can control a game at home against an opponent they should be aiming to beat.

The squad questions around Saturday

The selection picture is not clean. Harrison Armstrong has started every Premier League match this season, but he missed the Carabao Cup win over Wolves after a training injury. Alan Irvine said, “He got a little injury in training. We assessed him this morning and he wasn't ready. We are hopeful he will be ready for the weekend. It is not a major injury.”

Tyler Dibling gave Moyes another option on the right with a man-of-the-match display against Wolves, while Merlin Röhl is also in the mix. That matters because Everton’s start has been helped by energy and commitment, but the international break is close enough to expose any lack of depth if the same players have to keep doing the heavy lifting.

A home win over Ipswich would change the tone around the start without needing to overstate it. The unbeaten run has given Everton a platform, and the visit of Ipswich on 19 September is the chance to show that it can hold up when the schedule asks for more than survival.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →