Coleman still out; McCarthy, Cleverley and Gibson expected to be fit

Everton manager Ronald Koeman said that midfielders James McCarthy, Tom Cleverley and Darron Gibson all picked up small knocks in the midweek EFL Cup tie against Yeovil Town, but are all expected to be fit for today.

Seamus Coleman remains out with an ankle ailment, but is getting closer to returning to the team, with a mid-September return date.

Among the long-term absentees, Muhamed Besic and Tyias Browning are still out after knee surgery, while Matthew Pennington is recovering from a hamstring issue.

Their opponents on Saturday Stoke City are missing Jack Butland (ankle injury) in goal and defender Glen Johnson (thigh muscle strain). Winger Xherdan Shaqiri will have to pass a late fitness test to be deemed fit to play. He hasn’t trained all week and still has a sore calf.

Stephen Ireland and Ibrahim Afellay are not expected to return until the end of the calendar year, with a broken leg and ACL injury respectively.

Injury updates courtesy of PhysioRoom.