Jack Grealish has been left out of Everton's squad for the second time in five days, while Will Osula has been passed fit to lead the line for Newcastle United in Monday night's Premier League rematch at St James' Park.
The confirmed teams landed an hour before the 20:00 GMT kick-off that closes gameweek nine, four days after Everton's 3-1 EFL Cup win on Merseyside. As Beyond The Final Whistle set out in its preview, Grealish's return was the selection question hanging over this fixture — and David Moyes has answered it by leaving the winger out entirely, not even among the substitutes.
Confirmed lineups in full
Newcastle United: Hornicek; Dedic, Schar, Burn, Hall; Gonzalez, Joelinton; Elanga, Willock, Barnes; Osula. Substitutes: Pope, Botman, Bamba, Wissa, Thiaw, Steur, Toure, Murphy, Ramsey.
Everton: Pickford; O'Brien, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Garner, Armstrong; Rohl, Dewsbury-Hall, George; Barry. Substitutes: Travers, Maitland-Niles, Dibling, Keane, Johnson, Norgaard, Alcaraz, Hackney, Graham. Both XIs were published by Last Word on Sports ahead of kick-off.
Matthias Jaissle makes two changes from the side beaten in the cup: Joelinton and Anthony Elanga come in, with Jacob Ramsey and Jacob Murphy dropping to the bench. The headline call is Osula. The striker twisted his ankle before being withdrawn on Thursday and was a doubt all weekend, but he has been passed fit to start, with Yoane Wissa — the man expected to deputise — held back as an impact option. Lewis Miley and Matias Fernandez-Pardo are still not fit enough for the squad, while Tino Livramento and Ewen Jaouen remain long-term absentees.
For Everton, the big return is at the back. Jarrad Branthwaite starts after clearing concussion protocols, partnering captain James Tarkowski, exactly as Moyes had predicted. Harrison Armstrong and Merlin Rohl are given midfield and wide roles, Thierno Barry leads the line again after scoring on Thursday — and Hayden Hackney, who also scored in the cup tie and was pushing for a first league start since August, must settle for the bench.
Grealish out again — and the story grows
Grealish was omitted on Thursday for a breach of club discipline, reportedly an unauthorised absence from training. Everton's official line tonight, reported by USA TODAY, is that the midfielder is "not match fit" and therefore not part of the squad — a formulation that points away from the disciplinary episode without closing it.
Moyes stood behind the club last week — "It was a club decision and I support it. I don't want to speak too much about it" — and he has given nothing further away since. The numbers underline the strangeness of the situation: Grealish, on loan from Manchester City for a second straight season, has made eight appearances this term and is still waiting for his first goal or assist. A player signed to be Everton's creative face is now missing the games that define their season, and Everton's next fixture — at home to Coventry City on Friday — becomes another referendum on his status.
So what does tonight decide?
The table makes this more than a revenge grudge match. Newcastle start the night one point above Everton, and a home win lifts Jaissle's side to seventh; a second Everton victory in five days would instead move Moyes's men above their hosts and deepen the questions about Newcastle's home form — one win in four at St James' Park and no home clean sheet in any competition all season. Everton, for their part, have lost their last two league games without scoring and are still chasing a first Premier League away win of the campaign, a run Thursday's cup win did not change.
Beyond the Final Whistle: team sheets tell the truth managers will not. Moyes can call Grealish unfit, but leaving a £100m winger out of a 20-man squad twice in five days is a statement, not a fitness update — and every week it continues, the loan looks less like a rescue and more like a slow goodbye. On the pitch, Newcastle have the stronger XI and the crowd, but they had the stronger XI on Thursday too. The rematch will be decided by whether Jaissle's back four finally keep a clean sheet at home. Who wins the rematch tonight — Newcastle or Everton? Let us know what you think in the comment section.
