Frank Lampard returns to Everton for the first time since his sacking in January 2023 on Friday night, as his Coventry City side visit the Hill Dickinson Stadium — and Jack Grealish will again be missing for the hosts.
Everton are bidding to make it three straight wins in all competitions. David Moyes' side beat Newcastle United 3-1 in the EFL Cup last Thursday and then completed a 1-0 win at Newcastle in the Premier League on Monday night, a run that has lifted them to seventh in the table on 13 points from nine games, only two points behind fifth-placed Liverpool, according to Sports Mole.
Coventry arrive in 16th place on nine points, but in far better shape than their position suggests. The Sky Blues lost their opening four league matches after returning to the Premier League for the first time in 25 years, yet they have won three of their last five, beating Nottingham Forest, Newcastle and Sunderland along the way.
Lampard back where it ended
This is a fixture loaded with history. The two clubs have not met in the league for a quarter of a century — the last meeting came in 2001 — and Everton have won only one home Premier League match against Coventry, a 2-0 success at Goodison Park in April 1999. Coventry have lost only three of their 18 Premier League meetings with the Toffees, as 101 Great Goals note.
For Lampard, the personal stakes are obvious. Everton sacked him in January 2023 with the club deep in relegation trouble, and he returns now in charge of a Coventry side playing with belief. A result on Merseyside would be the strongest statement yet that his Premier League comeback is real.
Moyes, meanwhile, reaches a landmark of his own: Friday night will be his 592nd game managing Everton, equalling Harry Catterick's club record.
Grealish out again as team news lands
The build-up has again been dominated by Grealish. The on-loan Manchester City winger has not played since the defeat to Chelsea on 17 October and will miss a fourth successive match after being dropped for a breach of club discipline, reportedly an unauthorised absence from training. Moyes confirmed on Thursday: "Jack is not available. I wouldn't give you the plan, but we will be working with Jack again soon."
Everton are otherwise fully fit. Jarrad Branthwaite, who returned against Newcastle after missing two games through concussion protocols, was forced off late on Monday but Moyes confirmed it was only cramp, and Thierno Barry — eight goals in 12 appearances this season — is set to lead the line again, with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in form behind him.
Coventry have the longer list. Aurele Amenda, Haji Wright, Josh Eccles and Luke Woolfenden are all out, while Bobby Thomas and Frank Onyeka face late assessments. Jack Rudoni, the club's leading scorer with four goals and a nominee for October's Premier League Player of the Month, is set to start as the number 10, with Taiwo Awoniyi leading the line after scoring in the 3-1 win over Sunderland last weekend.
So what does it mean?
Goals could decide this one simply because both sides struggle to score them: Everton and Coventry have each managed only nine league goals in nine games, with only Nottingham Forest and Sunderland scoring fewer. Coventry's away form is the other warning sign — they have taken just three points on the road all season.
A win would move Everton level on points with fourth-placed Chelsea and keep their unlikely European push alive heading into the international break. For Coventry, anything at the Hill Dickinson would strengthen a survival bid that already looks far healthier than it did in September — and would give Lampard a night to savour at the club that let him go.
Beyond the Final Whistle: Everton are winning without Grealish, and that is the real story of this week — Moyes no longer needs to wait for his most talented player to behave like a professional. Coventry are dangerous, organised and fearless, but under the Friday lights, against a home side chasing a third straight win, Lampard's return is more likely to end in respect than revenge.
Will Lampard get his revenge at Everton, or will Moyes make it three wins in a row? Let us know in the comments.
