Everton have seen a revival in their fortunes since David Moyes returned to the Goodison Park dugout in January.
The Scot has led the Toffees to four wins and five draws from 11 matches in charge. The positive results mean they are now 17 points above the drop zone, which is enough to guarantee their survival in the Premier League.
However, Moyes faces a selection dilemma ahead of key April fixtures as Everton’s injury woes continue to mount, with Vitaliy Mykolenko the latest to be sidelined.
The 25-year-old left-back picked up a serious knock during international duty with Ukraine.
Mykolenko is the only senior left-back available and his absence will likely be a big blow for them.
This comes at a time when the team gears up for a daunting April, with Everton’s upcoming fixtures seeing them take on Liverpool at Anfield before a home game with Arsenal.
The Toffees will also face Nottingham Forest, Manchester City and Chelsea in the same month.
Relegation fears are over, but they will want to finish as high as possible in the Premier League table.
The Merseyside outfit missed Iliman Ndiaye, Dwight McNeil, Orel Mangala and Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the 1-1 draw with West Ham before the international break.
However, there is good news regarding Ndiaye and McNeil as they are expected to rejoin the squad for the important derby.
McNeil has been out with a knee issue, while Ndiaye has also been dealing with similar problems.
The duo’s absence affected Everton’s quality in the attacking third, but with the March break allowing players to recover, David Moyes is hopeful about having a more complete squad.
Additionally, Youssef Chermiti and Armando Broja also returned to the squad last time, with the two playing an important role in helping the Blues secure a point from the Goodison Park encounter.