Manager Arne Slot will be looking to bounce back after being knocked out of the Champions League and a devastating Carabao Cup final loss to Newcastle. Facing Everton is not an easy return after the international break and it does not get any easier with the number of missing players this week.
Trent Alexander-Arnold has picked up an ankle injury, Conor Bradley and Joe Gomez both picked up hamstring injuries whilst midfielder Tyler Morton is unavailable this week after recovering from surgery on his shoulder. Slot will have some serious thinking to do ahead of the clash, especially when trying to cover Alexander-Arnold's position which is normally filled in by Bradley.
Everton boss David Moyes will also miss midfielder Orel Mangala who picked up a anterior cruciate ligament injury, Dwight McNeil and Illiman Ndiaye due to knee injuries, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin due to a hamstring injury. Moyes spoke on McNeil, Ndiaye and Calvert-Lewin recently and confirmed they are still recovering.
“I don’t think we’re necessarily going to have any of them back after the (international) break,” he said. “But we’ve got three boys there – Dwight, Ili and Dom – who we could all do with seeing back if we could.”
Toffees left-back Vitalii Mykolenko also sustained a thigh injury during international duty with Ukraine with head coach Serhiy Rebrov giving a worrying statement after the knock.
“Unfortunately, he has an injury. He will do an MRI,” he said. “We'll see. I know Vitalii. If he didn't continue playing, then the injury was really serious.”