Evertonvs.Leicester

Both players were pencilled in for returns at the start of February, and this match could be the time for their returns, especially for Hermansen in goal.

Hermansen's groin injury has kept him out for over six weeks, and after Danny Ward proved he is not up to the required standard, Jakub Stolarczyk has not done much wrong between the sticks as a deputy, but he is set to drop back down to the bench here.

Ricardo Pereira and Abdul Fatawi remain long-term absentees, while Leicester's PSR constraints mean they have been unable to add to the squad significantly this month.

Woyo Coulibaly remains the only addition, joining from Parma for £2m last week, and he made his debut as an injury-time substitute in the win over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, but he is unlikely to come into the starting XI for this one.

The same can be said for Conor Coady, who will return to one of his former clubs, where he spent the 2022-23 season on loan, but after the win and strong defensive performance at Spurs, Wout Faes and Jannik Vestergaard are set to keep their places.

Manager Ruud van Nistelrooy also opted for the more solid wide pairing of Jordan Ayew and Bobby Decordova-Reid as opposed to Facundo Buonanotte and Stephy Mavididi, and with another away day on the horizon, he could stick with them.

There is no question about who will start up front though, and Jamie Vardy could become just the fourth player to score in back-to-back Premier League games while being 38 years of age or older, if he can notch an eighth career goal against the Toffees.

Leicester City possible starting lineup:

Hermansen; Justin, Faes, Vestergaard, Kristensen; Winks, Soumare; Ayew, El Khannouss, Decordova-Reid; Vardy

Written by

Andrew Delaney