Team News
Everton- The biggest blow for manager Ronald Koeman would be the injury to left-back Leighton Baines. who is the only good option in that position. He has incurred a back injury and is highly unlikely to feature in the game against Hull City. 23-year-old Luke Garbutt is the other option in that position, who joined the Toffees from Wigan Athletic last winter and is yet to play a game. We expect Funes Mori to take Baines’ place.
Aaron Lennon is still out with illness and will be a doubt for the game. Long term injuries include Yannick Bolasie and James McCarthy. The winger is out for the season with a cruciate ligament injury, while the Irish midfielder’s return is scheduled to be early next month. Defensive midfielder Muhamed Besic has returned from his cruciate ligament injury, which kept him out since the start of the season.
Hull City- Midfielder Evandro Goebel is still out with a calf injury and his availability for the game is uncertain. Ryan Mason is recovering well from his fractured skull and might be available after the international break. A huge boost for manager Marco Silva would be the return of Marcus Henriksen. The central midfielder has missed a month with a dislocated shoulder and is back in training.
There are no new updates on the long-term injuries. Skipper Michael Dawson would be the fastest to return as per schedule, which is early next month. Striker Dieumerci Mbokani should return mid-April and is likely to take part in the season. William Keane remains out for the season.
Predicted Line-ups
Everton- Robles; Funes-Mori, Jagielka, Williams, Coleman; Schneiderlin, Barry; Mirallas, Davies, Barkley; Lukaku
Hull City- Jakupovic; Robertson, Maguire, Ranocchia, Elabdellaoui; Huddlestone, N’Diaye; Grosicki, Clucas, Markovic; Hernandez
Key Players
Everton- Romelu Lukaku will be Everton’s biggest weapon. The Belgian has scored 19 goals and provided five assists in 27 league appearances so far and is definitely the favourite to get his name on the scoresheet. Ross Barkley will be another player to watch out for. The 23-year-old has been unstoppable of late, assisting seven and scoring 4.
Hull City- Though Hull City are not in their best away form, they surely have some players who can do some real damage. Abel Hernandez could be a lethal forward on his day. His big frame and finishing attributes could prove too much for Everton. With Funes-Mori expected to take Baines’ place, Lazar Markovic could give him a hard time in that position.
Odds
Everton @ 1.53
Draw @ 4.33
Hull City @ 7.00
