Overview
- Everton flew to Hamburg to play Hamburger SV at the Volksparkstadion on Saturday in the first of a two-game pre-season tour of Germany.
- The club arrives after a 4-0 win, a goalless draw and a 1-0 defeat that have left the side with back-to-back scoreless matches and questions over finishing.
- Manager David Moyes plans to manage minutes for players returning from injury, with Hayden Hackney being eased into longer appearances and Jarrad Branthwaite available but workload-limited while James Garner remains sidelined after groin surgery.
- Local media have suggested changes to the starting XI, notably giving Adam Aznou a chance at left-back, as Moyes experiments with formations and youth to plug positional gaps.
- The fixture is Everton’s first-ever meeting with Hamburg, who returned to the Bundesliga last season, and the match is being streamed on EvertonTV via a one-off paid pass with reported geographic viewing restrictions.