Everton confirmed that Yerry Mina ‘will be unavailable’ to face Norwich City on Wednesday evening. The 25-year-old missed Everton’s 0-0 draw with Liverpool on Sunday as he was struggling with a thigh injury, but Carlo Ancelotti is expecting Mina back in training soon and says he could return in time to face Leicester City next Wednesday.
The Toffees boss said in his pre-match press conference: “We didn’t suffer any new injuries against Liverpool, so the same squad will be available for Norwich. Yerry Mina (is) close to coming back but (he’s) not available for the game on Wednesday. I hope for the next game (he) will be available.”
Mina has made 29 appearances in all competitions this season, scoring two goals and making one assist. Without the £27.23m-rated Colombian international against Liverpool, Mason Holgate and Michael Keane partnered each other at centre-back and were outstanding. There may have been reservations about Holgate and Keane before the Liverpool stalemate, but Ancelotti will be confident relying on them against Norwich.
Ahead of Wednesday evening’s clash, Everton sit 12th in the Premier League table with 38 points from 30 games and have managed two points from a possible 12. Victory over the Canaries could see the Blues go 10th in the table, above Arsenal (10th) and Burnley (11th), but their head-to-head record suggests they’ll be in for a difficult encounter.
Everton have lost their last two meetings with Norwich and haven’t won at Carrow Road since 2004. Can they finally end the winless drought?