Everton Set for Final Pre-Season Friendly Against Lille at Hill Dickinson Stadium

By Joel Kavanagh — 15 August 2026 — 3 min read

Everton is set to play its final pre-season match against LOSC Lille at Hill Dickinson Stadium in Liverpool. This fixture marks the only home game for Everton during their pre-season schedule before they begin their Premier League campaign next week, hosting Crystal Palace.

The match against Lille follows Everton’s recent 3-1 victory over Newcastle United in Scotland. The upcoming game will provide manager David Moyes with an opportunity to assess his squad ahead of the new season, particularly with players like James Garner and Christian Norgaard regaining fitness, and Brennan Johnson having recently joined the club.

Match Details and Broadcast Information

The pre-season game is scheduled for Saturday, August 15th, with a kick-off time of 3:00 p.m. BST. The venue, Hill Dickinson Stadium, has a capacity of 52,769. The weather forecast for the match includes mostly cloudy conditions with a low chance of precipitation.

Fans can watch the match through various broadcast channels. Evertontv will offer live coverage, with one-time match passes available for purchase. Other broadcast options include DAZN France, Ligue1+, beIN Sports 2 Thailand, Arena Sport 1, Arena Sport 3 Serbia, and Arena Cloud.

The club’s last meeting with Lille was during the 2014-15 Europa League group stages, where Everton secured a 3-0 home win and a scoreless draw in France.

Connections Between the Clubs

There are several connections between Everton and Lille, including players who have represented both clubs. Davide Ancelotti, son of former Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti, now manages Lille. Davide Ancelotti previously served as Everton’s assistant manager from 2019 to 2021.

Over the past decade, seven players have played for both teams. These include Lucas Digne, who made his professional debut at Lille and later joined Everton from Barcelona in 2018. Digne was named Player of the Season and Players’ Player of the Season in his first year at Everton before moving to Aston Villa in 2022.

Idrissa Gueye also has a history with both clubs, starting his career at Diambars before moving to Lille in 2008. He made appearances when Lille won Ligue 1 and later faced Everton in the Europa League during the 2014-15 season. Gueye joined Everton from Aston Villa two seasons later and made 108 appearances over three years before moving to PSG.

Kevin Mirallas began his career at Lille, scoring 11 goals in 89 games over four years. He later joined Everton in 2012 for a reported fee of £6 million, scoring nine goals in his first season. Djibril Sidibe, a fullback, joined Lille in 2012 and later had a loan spell at Everton in 2019, where he provided five assists in 28 games. Amadou Onana, signed by Everton in 2022, spent two seasons with the club. Andre Gomes, initially on loan from Barcelona, also spent a season on loan at Lille, featuring 27 times and scoring three goals, before returning to Everton.

Squad Decisions and Potential Line-ups

Manager David Moyes faces decisions regarding his starting lineup for the final pre-season match. While some players like Jarrad Branthwaite, Christian Norgaard, and Brennan Johnson were not available for the recent win against Newcastle, they could potentially feature against Lille. Jordan Pickford, who recently returned to training after his international commitments, is also a consideration for the starting XI.

One suggested lineup for Everton (4-3-3) includes Travers; O’Brien, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Armstrong, Rohl, Dewsbury-Hall; Dibling, Barry, Ndiaye. Another proposed formation (4-2-3-1) features Pickford; Rohl, O’Brien, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Armstrong, Hackney; Ndiaye, Dewsbury-Hall, George; Barry. These suggestions highlight the ongoing assessment of players and combinations ahead of the Premier League season, which begins exactly one week after the Lille friendly.

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