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Post by Everton News. on Jan 16, 2024 16:40:55 GMT
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Post by Everton News. on Jan 16, 2024 16:41:06 GMT
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Post by rugbytoffee on Jan 16, 2024 18:17:09 GMT
Totally deflated at the moment , not arsed at all about this game sadly
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Post by rugbytoffee on Jan 16, 2024 18:21:32 GMT
The Toffees will be without Dele Alli who revealed on Instagram that he has suffered a setback in his recovery from a groin issue, with the 37-time England international having not played a competitive game since February 2023 - while on loan at Besiktas.
Veteran defender Ashley Young making pleasing progress in his return from a muscle injury but this game will come too soon for the 38-year-old, with Dyche confirming: "Young is back on the grass now, and he shouldn't be too far away."
Idrissa Gana Gueye will also miss the game, with the veteran midfielder away representing his native Senegal at the African Cup of Nations.
In a boost for the hosts, Dominic Calvert-Lewin will be available for selection after his red card in the first leg was overturned following a successful appeal.
Crystal Palace Cheick Doucoure is a long-term absentee for the Eagles after snapping his Achilles tendon at the end of November 2023, with the Malian midfielder expected to miss most, if not all, of the rest of the season.
Jesurun Rak-Sakyi is nearing a return from a serious thigh injury, but the young forward is not expected to feature again until next month.
Exciting French attacker Michael Olise remains sidelined with a thigh injury, in another blow for the 21-year-old, and Hodgson was coy on talk of a return date: "We have to nurse him through [...] The next question will be how long is he out, but I can't answer that one. We're hoping this one won't be as bad as the one that put him out for six months."
Sam Johnstone is on the verge of a return to action following a calf injury, though it remains to be seen whether the English shot-stopper could feature at Goodison Park.
Similarly to Johnstone, defender Rob Holding is nearing a return following an ankle issue, though his return is expected to fall on the wrong side of the Everton clash.
Joel Ward remains absent with a thigh injury that has seen him ruled out since mid-December, with the 34-year-old not expected to feature again until the end of the month at the earliest.
To conclude their long absence list, Jordan Ayew is also unavailable due to him being away representing Ghana at the AFCON.
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Post by Everton News. on Jan 17, 2024 14:56:08 GMT
Dyche Programme Notes
Good evening and welcome to Goodison Park.
Before looking to tonight’s FA Cup third round replay with Crystal Palace, I must address the news from earlier this week of the Premier League again referring Everton to a Premier League commission for a breach of Profit and Sustainability regulations.
As you can appreciate, there is not a lot I can say on the issue at this moment in time, other than to confirm the Club will deal with the matter in due course and continues to prepare for the appeal process over the 10-point deduction handed to us in November. The total focus for the squad, my staff and I remains on the pitch, sticking together - as we have done with our fans all season - and winning football matches.
With that in mind, I was pleased with our performance in the goalless draw against a strong Aston Villa side at Goodison on Sunday. I’ll keep mentioning the need for us to be adaptable and the importance of having different ways in our armoury to get results, and we showed an encouraging resilience to put another point on the board. Aston Villa have proven themselves to be a top side this season and came here with a chance to go joint-top of the table.
In games like that, sometimes you have to deal with what you do out of possession. We did that very well, we remained steadfast and it was also pleasing to get another clean sheet. There were positives but we also know we can be better on the ball. We have talent and we can create more opportunities in attack but I can’t fault the total commitment of this group - illustrated in players like Dwight McNeil, who, after a worry over his ankle from our first Cup match at Palace, did extremely well to get himself ready to play a part in the game and battle for the team when he came off the bench.
With that said, we did create good chances against Villa - arguably the best chance of the game in the first half, and although the Villa keeper made a good save from Dom and he was disappointed he didn’t put it away, we have full belief in his quality. I have reminded Dom that the further away it gets from his last goal, the closer it gets to his next one. He just needs to keep getting into those positions and the goals will come.
Tonight we welcome Roy Hodgson, his players, staff and everyone connected to Crystal Palace. I think it’s well-known by now how much respect I have for Roy and Palace’s first-team coach Ray Lewington, who was my manager when I was a player at Watford. They are fantastic football people who have achieved a lot in the game - and I often ask them, ‘What are you doing? What are you still doing this for?!’... In the nicest possible way!
As always, those pleasantries are cast aside as soon as the first whistle blows. Our aim is simple - to win every game that comes our way and tonight is no different. Palace are a good side and while every game poses different challenges, we must take confidence from our two trips to Selhurst Park this season, take the game on and get ourselves through into the next round.
Goodison under the lights is always a special occasion and we will be ready to put in a fitting performance.
Enjoy the game.
Sean
Everton FC
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