Injury expert shares Everton team news update ahead of Premier League clash v Aston Villa
Everton are set to be without two players for their Premier League clash against Aston Villa at Goodison Park on Saturday, according to injury expert, Ben Dinnery.
Andros Townsend and Dominic Calvert-Lewin are “100 per cent” out of the fixture against Unai Emery’s side. The former Crystal Palace winger is recovering from a long-term knee injury and Calvert-Lewin has once again been sidelined for the Toffees’ last two fixtures (Premier Injuries website).
Sean Dyche is also sweating on the fitness of Amadou Onana, with Dinnery rating the midfielder’s chances of playing at “50 per cent”.
However, the former Burnley boss could have James Garner and Nathan Patterson back available after the pair both featured for the under-21s on Friday (17 February).
Fortress
Everton’s home form will be absolutely crucial as the season enters its latter stages. The fixture against Leeds was a turgid affair, but there was always a sense that they would be able to get over the line against their relegation rivals. Emery’s men will provide a much sterner test on Saturday (25 February) after their narrow defeat to league leaders Arsenal in their last outing.
Last weekend was an extremely positive one for the Toffees in terms of results. Their win over Michael Skubala’s side coupled with West Ham’s loss to Spurs saw Dyche’s men climb out of the bottom three.
The injury list appears to be clearing up, with Patterson and Garner both now in contention to return. The Scottish full-back has made a good impression since moving to the Premier League and will certainly provide competition for places when he does return. Calvert-Lewin’s latest injury is something which Dyche will have to deal with.
The England international simply cannot be relied upon to feature in a consistent run of games, and it will be up to Neal Maupay or Ellis Simms to step up and provide the goals for Everton.