Everton vs Leicester CityTEAM NEWSEverton boss Sam Allardyce has welcomed Seamus Coleman back to his squad after the right-back made his return in the Under-23s’ Premier League Cup win over Portsmouth last week. The Irishman played an hour in the 3-0 success and Allardyce has seen enough to recall him to the first-team setup. The Blues boss has also confirmed left-back Luke Garbutt has been training with the squad and the 24-year-old is eligible to feature.
Ramiro Funes Mori is back in light training as he continues his rehabilitation from a long-term knee injury, while James McCarthy is back in his home city of Glasgow following successful surgery on his broken leg. Leighton Baines (calf) and Maarten Stekelenburg (hernia) also miss out.
For Leicester, defender Wes Morgan is sidelined with a hamstring injury, while forwards Leonardo Ulloa and Ahmed Musa recently made loan moves to former clubs Brighton and CSKA Moscow respectively. Robert Huth stepped up his comeback from an ankle injury with another run-out for City’s Under-23s in their Checkatrade Trophy defeat to Oldham, and could make the travelling party.
FORMEverton are searching for a first win since a 3-1 home win over Swansea City back in mid-December. The Blues have gone six games without a win since but did earn a point in their last outing against in-form West Brom. After Jay Rodriguez’s early goal, Theo Walcott marked his debut with an assist as he nodded down Wayne Rooney’s ball into the box for Oumar Niasse to volley home.
The Foxes booked safe passage through to the fifth round of the FA Cup last weekend when they saw off League One Peterborough at London Road. A debut brace from Fousseni Diabate and two from Kelechi Iheanacho did the damage before Wilfired Ndidi completed the scoring in added time.
In the league, Claude Puel’s side sit in seventh in the Premier League after back-to-back league wins over Huddersfield and Watford.
ONE TO WATCH: RIYAD MAHREZ
Riyad Mahrez is seemingly getting back to the form that saw him crowned the 2015/2016 PFA Player of the Season, when Leicester City famously won the Premier League. Having scored eight times this season, it is easy to see why clubs such as Arsenal and Manchester City have recently stepped up their pursuits of the tricky Algerian.
Since the turn of the year, Mahrez has scored twice for the Foxes, once against Huddersfield Town and once against Watford, and it is without doubt that he will want to continue that form to pile the pressure on Arsenal, who sit one place above Leicester in sixth.
LAST TIME: EVERTON 4-2 LEICESTER CITY
Tom Davies grabbed Everton’s quickest goal of the season the last time Leicester City visited Goodison Park, scoring after just 30 seconds in what proved to be a goalfest in April. After the Blues opened the scoring, Leicester hit back with two quick-fire goals in the fourth and 10th minutes through Islam Slimani and Marc Albrighton respectively. Thirteen minutes later, Romelu Lukaku levelled the scores with a header before Phil Jagielka made it 3-2 with a header of his own.
After the break, Lukaku was on hand again from a corner, this time slamming in from close range to give the Toffees their seventh straight home league win.
MAN IN THE MIDDLE: CHRIS KAVANAGH
Chris Kavanagh takes charge of only his 11th Premier League fixture having become a Select Group 1 referee for the 2017/18 season after working his way up the football pyramid.
Kavanagh has officiated Everton just the once this season, the 2-0 victory over Huddersfield Town at the start of December, also refereeing Leicester the single time for the 2-1 defeat to Watford, brandishing six yellow cards in the match.
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