Crystal Palace v Everton - Saturday 11th November 2023

Sean Dyche says Amadou Onana, Jarrad Branthwaite and Abdoulaye Doucoure will all face late checks but is hopeful of having the trio available for Everton's clash with with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Saturday (3pm GMT).

All three players took part in full training on Thursday, with Branthwaite managing a "knock" and Doucoure overcoming a sickness bug earlier this week.

Onana missed the Blues' 1-1 home draw with Brighton & Hove Albion at Goodison Park last weekend with a calf issue.

Seamus Coleman, meanwhile, is unlikely to be involved but has stepped up his return from a long-term knee injury with two outings in the space of four days for the Under-21s, playing the first half against Manchester United in the Premier League 2 and 66 minutes in the youngsters' 1-0 away win at Mansfield Town.

Speaking in Thursday's pre-match press conference, Dyche said: "We've got a couple of knocks with Amadou and Jarrad has got a bit of a knock but we're not expecting too much drama. Doucs had a bit of sickness - but they've all been out on the grass today [Thursday], so we're hopeful on them.

"I think [Onana] should be [available]. As I say, they've been out on the grass and as we know, we'll see how it reacts tomorrow but he's managed it well and done well to get through the games he did. Hopefully we've managed that well with him as well and it's calmed down.

"Seamus is still coming back to true fitness but he's doing great. He's put a lot of effort into getting back to real fitness levels and he's desperate to get back involved, as you can imagine. But he's been terrific since he's been back amongst the group and that helps."

Youssef Chermiti, Lewis Dobbin and Joao Virginia also took part in the victory over Mansfield Town, with Dyche continuing: "They're important, these games, because we want to stimulate players to get back to full fitness and full sharpness. The games programme can be awkward in arranging these games, but it was a game we thought they could get something from. I am pleased for the young players getting a game, getting through it and getting a results."

André Gomes (calf) and Dele (groin) remained sidelined for Everton.

On keeping Dele involved in the fold, Dyche added: "Dele still has a bit of a way to go [to be available again] but I wanted to try to keep him involved.

"I think he's in a good place as a person. I like the fact that he absorbs it and he's had some amazing experiences, which I think sometimes people forget, for still a relatively young player.

"I was just chatting to him about what we're trying to do because I want to keep him involved in what we're doing because it's hard when you're out for that long, it really is - and he's been through a lot in that period as well.

"We had an honest conversation and he brought up something that I thought was really important and I shared with the rest of the players.

"He described it very well, the idea of direct play - people presuppose that it means kicking the ball long but it doesn't and he was on to it it straight away. He said, 'I know exactly what you mean'. It means, 'Can you play forward?' as your first thought. He thought the players might need a bit more correcting with that so I had a conversation with the rest of the players.

"I try to be open with the players and I want their feedback, I want them to let us know if they're not understanding of something and I'm more than happy for them to question things and ask why about things. Dele did that in a very good manner and I thought it was important to share it."

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