Major injury for Yerry Mina, Demarai Gray also misses out – Early confirmed Everton team news for Leeds clash
Frank Lampard will have to replace both mid-week injuries for the Leeds United clash, with Yerry Mina set for a significant Everton absence.
The Colombian defender is set to be out for between eight and 10 weeks according to the new manager, who told his pre-match press conference it was an “unfortunate injury” which is “disappointing for us all”.
The ex-Chelsea boss revealed that Demarai Gray will also be missing for the visit of Marcelo Bielsa’s side having picked up a “minor knock around his hip” and is expected to be back next week.
In more positive news, Dominic Calvert-Lewin will again be in the squad, but the boss was not willing to be drawn on whether he is in line to start, saying “that’s for us to decide” ahead of tomorrow’s game.
After an earlier debut than planned in the poor loss to Newcastle, the English manager also moved to temper immediate expectations for Dele Alli, saying it is a situation that “short term we have to manage”.
Hugely important
The Toffees badly need something out of this game, as much for the psychological side of things as the actual points.
The new manager bounce last all of one FA Cup tie, as the hope from the 4-1 dispatching of Brentford made way for a depressingly familiar collapse in the 3-1 defeat at Newcastle in midweek.
The benefit of the new manager’s first game in charge was also mitigated somewhat by being a cup game.
The club have now only won once since September in the league, which is appalling form by any measure.
With Saturday’s opponents one place above Everton, and having played a game more, a win would be huge, but a defeat would be particularly crushing.
At the very least a goal-scoring draw, although preferable without a lot of goals conceded, would seem to be necessary to draw some positive feeling from the match.
But a scrappy 1-0 win would look like a masterpiece for the supporters.
In other Everton news, Lampard’s former Chelsea colleague has been tipped for success by a source at the club.