Everton travel to Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday, with kick-off at the Vitality Stadium set for 3pm. The Blues arrive on the south coast in confident mood after opening their season with a 2-0 home win over Crystal Palace and a 4-0 Carabao Cup second-round victory at Preston North End in midweek.
Cherries provide stern test
The showdown with Bournemouth is expected to be Everton's toughest test yet. The Cherries, for whom new head coach Marco Rose will take charge of his first official home match, lost 2-1 to Manchester City on the opening weekend despite leading until the 84th minute.
Their performance at the Etihad Stadium, combined with three summer signings added to a squad that finished sixth last season under Andoni Iraola, means they will prove a stern challenge.
Grealish future uncertain
Jack Grealish scored the winner in Everton's last visit to Bournemouth in December, ending a 10-year wait for a win at the Vitality Stadium. That deflected 78th-minute strike proved to be his final goal for Everton before a serious foot injury ended his season.
Now fully fit and back at parent club Manchester City, Grealish featured in their 3-0 Community Shield defeat to Arsenal and came off the bench in their 2-1 win over Bournemouth. He was left out of the squad for City's 4-1 win at Crystal Palace, after which Enzo Maresca said: "We'll see what happens in the next 48-72 hours."
Everton and Grealish's boyhood club Aston Villa are both said to be interested in the England international.
