Sean Dyche says Abdoulaye Doucoure is set to miss Everton’s Premier League clash with Manchester City at Goodison Park on Wednesday (8.15pm GMT), while Idrissa Gana Gueye could also be a doubt for the game.
Doucoure - the Blues’ top scorer this season - is still recovering from a hamstring injury picked up at Burnley earlier this month. Meanwhile, Gana was substituted during the first half of Everton’s narrow 2-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, after the midfielder appeared in discomfort from an early challenge.
Dyche, explaining his team news after that game, updated the media at his pre-match press conference for Wednesday’s visit of Manchester City.
Asked about Doucoure’s availability, he responded: “No, I don’t think for City. I think that’s a bit close. He’s making good progress and we’re hoping he gets back on the grass in the next few days - not straight away with us, but just in his return to fitness.
“We have to be careful because we keep getting players back fit, but then we start running out again.
“Idrissa has got an injury which doesn’t look that promising on the first showing. We’ll find out more in the coming days. We’re trying to balance the games programme against the squad, and against the injuries, and the risk and reward of players coming in.
“Even with Andre [Gomes] it wasn’t ideal for him to come on so early in the game [at Spurs]. I thought he handled it very well physically. I had plans to put him in the game later, but needs must at the moment.”
Everton are enjoying a strong run at Goodison Park, winning their past two Premier League home games in victories over Newcastle United and Chelsea.
However, Dyche recognises that a tough challenge awaits on Wednesday. Last season’s treble winners and the recently-crowned FIFA Club World Cup champions Manchester City have taken on a busy schedule of late - a fixture list which has included travel to Saudi Arabia for the mid-season tournament.
Nevertheless, Dyche insists his side are preparing for the best version of Pep Guardiola’s team.
“With all the travelling and things they’ve won, I’m not saying they’re used to everything, and this is probably slightly different,” said the Everton manager. “But at the end of the day, I don’t think they’ll be travelling in economy. I think they’ll be well-looked after. So, I’m not going to over-egg the physical side of it.
“They’ve got so many good players, they’ll still put out a very strong side. If it does help, then great. We’ll take all the help we can get, but the focus will be on us performing.
“In my experience with Man City, whenever you think you have moments like that, they put out a side and deliver a performance. I’ll certainly be making sure the players are forgetting all of that - the noise and the news. Trust me, when you’re on the pitch with them, they’re a very strong side - even when they make changes and they’re stretched. They seem to find a strong side and a strong way of playing.”
Looking forward to a return to Goodison Park after the resilient showing at Tottenham, Dyche added: “We like the feeling we’re getting at Goodison, and we have done for a long time. Early season, I thought we were playing well. I thought the fans respected that. We couldn’t find the wins - even though the performances were dominant.
“More recently, we have found the wins. We’re creating that feeling at home and I think that’s the thing we’ve been searching for.
“I’m beginning to know about the Evertonians. When they see their side wear the shirt with pride like [they did against Tottenham], then that word will spread. We want to continue that story.”
