Jarrad Branthwaite latest as five players to miss Manchester City vs Everton clash
Everton are preparing for a trip to face Manchester City on Saturday.
Man City will play host to Everton in a return to Premier League action after the October international break came to an end.
David Moyes will be keen to build on a win last time out as Everton secured a 2-1 win against Crystal Palace to end their long-term unbeaten run.
A clash against Manchester City won’t be easy for Everton, as Pep Guardiola’s side is still packed full of quality despite a surprisingly patchy start to the campaign.
The Toffees will be hoping that Jarrad Branthwaite can be back among the squad for the Blues as absentees are assessed in L4.
Everton may be without five players vs Manchester City
Moyes was unimpressed by Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s suspension and will be glad to welcome him back into his squad at the Etihad.
The Scot could unfortunately be without several other stars as the Blues face the Citizens on 18 October.
Branthwaite and Merlin Rohl are back in training, as confirmed by Moyes on Friday, but neither are in line to feature this weekend.
Moyes also confirmed that Nathan Patterson is likely to miss the clash against Guardiola’s men due to injury during the international break.
Michael Keane also represents a doubt after suffering a rib injury before the break, with his fitness still unclear at this stage.
A guarantee at the Etihad is that Jack Grealish won’t be available for Everton, as he is ineligible to face his parent club.
How can Everton cope without Jack Grealish?
The England international has been a star since coming in on a temporary deal from the one-time Champions League winners in the summer.
Grealish has scored one, assisted four and won the Premier League Player of the Month award in the process.
His ability to get on the ball and cause problems for the opposition has been a key element of the Toffees’ approach this campaign.
Without him, the likes of Dewsbury-Hall, Carlos Alcaraz and Iliman Ndiaye will have to step up and prove their own qualities against City.
Moyes has to get the best out of his squad and prove that they haven’t become a one-man team since the introduction of Grealish on loan.
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