Stay in control of the latest Blues news with our Everton newsletter Sign up now Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

It is now seven weeks since Everton last took to the field in the Premier League, falling to a miserable 4-0 defeat away at Chelsea at the beginning of March.

Since then, football has been suspended indefinitely as the Coronavirus pandemic swept across the planet, leaving the 2019/20 in limbo with its future in doubt.

It remains to be seen whether the current Premier League season will resume when safe to do so, or be ended so the current standings serving as the final standings or even null and voided before starting again next season.

And even when football does resume, fans are highly-unlikely to be allowed to attend games with matches set to take place behind closed doors for the foreseeable future.

So we don’t know when football will return, who Everton will next face, or if it’ll even be season 2019/20 or season 2020/21 when it finally does.

And the futures of certain players are up in the air too with the likes of Djibril Sidibe’s loan contract set to expire at the end of June and FIFA yet to announce when the summer transfer window will open ahead of a likely postponement.

But one thing we do know is, regardless of each scenario the Everton team could look fairly different to the last one fans witnessed the next time they take to the pitch.

So, assuming the 2019/20 season picks up where we left off, what sort of side is Carlo Ancelotti likely to turn to?

Defensive dilemma

It wouldn’t really matter when Everton’s next game proved to be, after a pretty awful display at Stamford Bridge, the Blues were always going to make defensive changes.

Michael Keane partnered Mason Holgate at the back that day, so expect Yerry Mina to return.

Meanwhile, captain Seamus Coleman will long since have recovered from the injury that forced him off against Manchester United so comes in for Sidibe with the Frenchman’s future still unclear.

Walcott walks in

Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin are Everton’s undisputed choice in attack so there won’t be any changes there despite Moise Kean's presence, meaning it is in midfield where Ancelotti could choose to tinker.

Andre Gomes is the Blues star midfielder so he starts with Fabian Delph coming back in to partner him ahead of the disappointing Gylfi Sigurdsson, Tom Davies or the injured Morgan Schneiderlin.

Theo Walcott returns to start with Bernard keeping his place on the opposing flank.

But wait?!

What if the transfer window has opened and we’re actually in season 2020/21 when football returns?

Well clubs have understandably appeared to put transfer business on hold for the time-being with no idea what states finances will be in when football is able to return.

As such, it’s far too early to be predicting any new arrivals at Goodison Park.

Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8 Cancel Play now

If you believe the rumour mill, Ancelotti is rather keen to sign Lille’s Gabriel Magalhaes so he could come in for a debut.

Meanwhile, Leighton Baines is out of contract and yet to sign a new deal while a decision still needs to be made on Sidibe’s future regarding whether Everton intend to sign him permanently.

Elsewhere, speculation continues regarding Sigurdsson and Kean's futures, Jonjoe Kenny could be back at Goodison following the end of his loan with Schalke while the likes of Oumar Niasse and Cuco Martina will have left following the expiry of their contracts.

Predicted Everton XI: Pickford; Coleman, Holgate, Mina, Digne; Walcott, Gomes, Delph, Bernard; Richarlison, Calvert-Lewin.