Dominic Calvert-Lewin is not involved in Everton’s return to Premier League action.
The striker had entered the World Cup break dealing with shoulder, hamstring and knee issues and had been pushing for a return against Wolverhampton Wanderers. But with Frank Lampard acknowledging he would be on the bench at best, and the club’s careful handling of him during the season so far, there was a strong possibility that he would miss out on the Boxing Day squad.
His absence places greater emphasis on the role of Neal Maupay, Everton’s only fit, recognised first team striker following the deal struck for the exit of Salomon Rondon. It also means Tom Cannon is likely to get more first team minutes and potentially the chance to show his talent is too irresistible for Lampard to allow to leave on loan this month.
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The second major talking point going into the game was who would step in for Conor Coady, ineligible to play against his parent club. It is a case of when, not if, his signing is made permanent but there is no pressure on the Blues to exercise the club’s option to buy in January. He is replaced by Yerry Mina, who suffered an injury in Australia but has since recovered. Ben Godfrey is also on the bench - his first first team involvement since his injury in the early minutes of the opening game of the season against Chelsea.
Maupay, who has shown flickers of a growing understanding with Anthony Gordon during the break, will be supported by Gordon and Dwight McNeil as Lampard looks set to retain a 4-3-3 formation and keep faith with the midfield partnership of Alex Iwobi, Amadou Onana and Idrissa Gueye that he relied upon before the break.
Teen starlet Cannon makes the bench after continuing his impressive season during the Premier League break. The 19-year-old made his senior then Premier League debuts in the cup and league games at Bournemouth that concluded the first part of the season for Everton then impressed during the Sydney Super Cup and scored big goals for the Under-21s against Mansfield Town and Lincoln City. He was already ahead of Salomon Rondon before the Venezuela striker’s exit was agreed earlier this month and was expected to be involved today.
EVERTON: Pickford; Mykolenko, Tarkowski, Mina, Patterson; Iwobi, Onana, Gueye; Gordon, Maupay, McNeil.
SUBS: Begovic, Holgate, Gray, Doucoure, Godfrey, Coleman, Davies, Vinagre, Cannon.
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