Everton senior players Seamus Coleman and Jarrad Branthwaite will be unavailable for the Chelsea clash on Saturday, plus Merlin Rohl is still out of action.
Seamus Coleman and Jarrad Branthwaite are still recovering from hamstring injuries, while Merlin Rohl continues his rehabilitation following hernia surgery. All three have been ruled out by the club.
Thierno Barry, who scored his first goal for Everton in last weekend’s 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest, sustained a minor shoulder problem in that match but is expected to be passed fit. David Moyes has said he will make a late decision on the forward’s involvement, adding that Beto is “ready to step in” if a change is required.
Everton will at least be boosted by the return of Idrissa Gueye and Tim Iroegbunam, who are available again after completing suspensions. Gueye has missed the last three fixtures following the red card he received for slapping teammate Michael Keane in a 1–0 win at Manchester United.
Moyes has said the midfielder is “determined to make up for lost time” and is likely to start in a deep role alongside James Garner.
Iroegbunam is expected to begin on the bench, with in-form Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall set for a more advanced position. The former Chelsea midfielder has scored three goals in his last four appearances and is pushing to start in the number 10 role ahead of Carlos Alcaraz. Jack Grealish and Iliman Ndiaye are tipped to keep their places out wide.
Defensively, Moyes is poised to stick with the same back four of Jake O’Brien, Michael Keane, James Tarkowski and Vitaliy Mykolenko. The unit have offered strong protection for Jordan Pickford, who has kept four clean sheets in his last five league games and has described the team’s recent defensive form as “a platform to build on” as Everton aim to extend their recent unbeaten run.
