Everton manager Frank Lampard as confirmed he will be without key centre back Yerry Mina for the trip to Watford. Mina came off in the first half of the 2-1 win at Leicester City with a minor calf injury, the latest of a number of setbacks he has had this season.
Without their key defender, the Toffees will be looking to take a big step towards safety with a win at already relegated Watford. They can move four points clear of Burnley and potentially Leeds United, depending on how they fare against Chelsea at the same time.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Lampard detailed when he hopes Mina will be back from injury, while also providing updates on Donny van de Beek and Ben Godfrey.
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Via quotes from the Liverpool Echo, he said: “Yerry’s [Mina] not, he’s got a small injury in his calf so he won’t be playing in this game. We are looking now for the last game that he may be available for.
“Michael Keane was great (coming on at the King Power Stadium), it’s never easy coming into a pressure game 20 minutes in. Keano’s an absolute brilliant professional so I’ve no doubts he’s always ready to go when called upon.”
“Donny’s [van de Beek] not ready, we hope he’ll be ready for next week’s game, potentially the weekend. With Ben [Godfrey], similar. Ben’s working with every ounce of sweat in his body to be fit and take part in the run-in and that’s the sort of attitude we need.”
Everton, who were five points adrift of safety just over a week ago, now look favourites to beat the drop following their resurgence in form. Their only defeat in the last five matches came away at Liverpool, a run that has conjured up three wins and a draw.
Lampard hailed the togetherness his side have shown to pull themselves out of a rut and can now see how the confidence levels in the squad have risen after some positive results.
He said: “You only win or have relative success with togetherness. The level we're playing at, it's nigh-on impossible to be successful without that. At the moment people are reacting in a good way.
“My mood has been lifted. It's what football does to you, it lifts you."
