Match PreviewEverything you need to know ahead of Wednesday's trip to Stoke City.
TEAM NEWSRonald Koeman has no fresh injury concerns ahead of Wednesday’s trip to the Bet365 Stadium.
Idrissa Gana Gueye won’t be considered for selection after travelling back from Gabon, where he’d been part of the Senegal squad which reached the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations.
Muhamed Besic [knee] and Dominic Calvert-Lewin [ankle] remain on the sidelines.
Mark Hughes might include January recruit Saido Berahino in his squad for Wednesday’s match. The striker is yet to play since his switch from West Bromwich Albion.
Wilfried Bony and Mame Biram Diouf's involvement at the Africa Cup of Nations is over but they, like Blues midfielder Gana, may not be involved.
FORMWednesday’s match will be contested by two teams unbeaten in Premier League action since the turn of the year.
Seventh-placed Everton have won three successive league matches - against Southampton, Manchester City and Crystal Palace - keeping shut-outs in each fixture.
Stoke have recovered from a poor start to the season to climb to ninth position, with eight fewer points than Everton. They enter the match on the back of a 1-1 draw with Manchester United last time out, a game in which they were denied the win by Wayne Rooney’s injury-time free-kick.
ONE TO WATCH - PETER CROUCHHaving been restricted to mainly substitute appearances in the opening half of the season, Crouch is back in the Stoke team and back scoring goals.
The veteran forward, now 36, has scored three goals in his last five matches against Chelsea, Watford and Sunderland.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference, Everton boss Ronald Koeman was wary of the threat posed by the former Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Portsmouth forward, should he get another start against the Blues on Wednesday.
“Crouch is playing so that makes it possible to go more direct, and everybody knows to keep him out of the box - if not you can get problems,” said the Everton boss. “That’s what we need to do at least if he is starting. How we press and how we push our defenders up will be important.”
LAST MEETING - EVERTON 1-0 STOKE CITY, 27 AUGUST 2016
Everton have won the last three meetings against the Potters, the most recent being a narrow success back in August.
The contest was decided just after half-time when Shay Given pushed a Leighton Baines penalty against the post, only for the ball to rebound back, strike the goalkeeper’s back and roll into the net.
The Toffees were 3-0 winners on their last visit to Stoke, almost a year ago.
Romelu Lukaku put Everton in front with a penalty after keeper Jack Butland had tripped Tom Cleverley.
Seamus Coleman headed in a corner and Aaron Lennon intercepted a pass before slotting in as Everton went in three goals ahead at the interval.
MAN IN THE MIDDLE: CRAIG PAWSON
The Yorkshire-based official has taken control of one previous Everton fixture this season - the trip to Southampton at the end of November.
In all competitions this season, Pawson has overseen 22 matches, handing out 91 yellow cards and two reds.
Everton FC