Everton have been given a boost ahead of their clash with Stoke City after it was revealed that influential winger Xherdan Shaqiri is a doubt to feature, according to a report on the Stoke Sentinel.
The forward is hugely important to the Stoke City side as his trickery and pace allows them to counter attack effectively.
The Potters know that they need to pick up the three points tomorrow but will face a tough task against Sam Allardyce’s well organised Everton side.
Shaqiri picked up a calf injury during Monday night’s 2-0 loss against Manchester City and has also pulled out of the Switzerland squad for their upcoming international friendlies.
Everton will hope that the absence of Shaqiri decreases the morale and confidence of the Stoke side, with the Toffees looking to close the gap on eighth-placed Leicester City, who are not in Premier League action this weekend.
Shaqiri is Stoke’s top goalscorer in the Premier League this season with seven goals and Paul Lambert is disappointed to lose his key player for one of their biggest games of the season.
Everton are not completely safe from the relegation scrap as they are only 10 points away from the bottom three, so a positive result is needed tomorrow for the Toffees.
