Everton have confirmed via their official website that they will be without influential duo Lucy Graham and Valerie Gauvin when they take on Chelsea at Kingsmeadow this weekend.
The pair came off the pitch battered and bruised from Everton’s 3-1 2019/2020 Vitality Women’s FA Cup final defeat to Manchester City last weekend and it has been revealed that both Graham and Gauvin are still carrying knocks which will rule them out of the Chelsea fixture.
Both players will be sorely missed by Everton at Kingsmeadow this weekend. Midfielder Graham is The Blue Girls’ top scorer in the Barclays FA Women’s Super League with four goals while she has also provided two assists. Teammate Gauvin has also been effective. She has found the back of the net on three occasions while she has created one goal.
Graham and Gauvin have been involved in 62.5% of Everton’s league goals so far this season and whoever is given an opportunity to cover for those players’ absences this weekend have huge boots to fill.
Sunday sees Everton return to action for the first time since their Wembley defeat. The Blue Girls were scheduled to face Manchester United in the FA Women’s Continental League Cup in midweek but the match was postponed due to wind damage to Everton’s Walton Hall Park home.
Last time out in the Barclays FA Women’s Super League, Everton dropped their first points of the season after being held to a 2-2 draw by Brighton & Hove Albion. They come up against a Chelsea side on Sunday who have won their last three league fixtures.