EFC Brief

The one true Toffee on show here is Jordan Pickford, Everton's number one since 2017 and England's undisputed last line of defence. For Blues, watching Pickford marshal his box in a fixture of this magnitude is the closest thing to a home interest, and his command of the goal remains as vital to the national side as it is at Goodison's successor. Behind him stands a familiar face in John Stones, who came through at Everton between 2012 and 2017 before his move to City, while Anthony Gordon — an Academy graduate who left in 2023 — offers England genuine spark from wide areas. The EFC-linked contingent runs deep too, with Konsa, Rice, Guéhi and Elliot Anderson all names Blues fans have monitored. Norway counter with their own trio of Toffee-linked talent: Berge, the imperious Ødegaard, and the unstoppable Haaland. Plenty for the blue half to keep an eye on.