Everton will host the highly-anticipated climax to the Premier League relegation battle at Goodison Park this afternoon in their clash with Bournemouth, and it will be a nail-biting 90 minutes for their loyal supporters.
The Toffees have their fate firmly in their hands with a victory today securing top-flight football for another season and will ultimately relegate their bottom-of-the-table rivals Leeds United and Leicester City.
Indeed, a draw could also keep them up if Leicester don’t take all three points from their clash with West Ham United, but Sean Dyche should not be willing to take the risk of sharing the spoils with Gary O'Neill's side and instead ensure his team can’t be caught with a win.
Since confirming their safety in the top flight, Bournemouth have lost their last three league outings so Everton will be hoping they can capitalise on their opponents' poor form to get the result they desperately need over the line.
The Everton boss has been dealt two major injury blows as Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Nathan Patterson will be unavailable for selection in the final fixture of the campaign, so it will be interesting to see how Dyche sets up his team, especially in the final third.
Having said that, Vitaliy Mykolenko is expected to be available for the clash after recovering from a thigh injury which will be a huge boost considering Ben Godfrey, Seamus Coleman and Patterson are all injured.
Will Vitaliy Mykolenko start vs Bournemouth?
The 23-year-old left-back has been a consistent feature in the starting eleven and his timely return could see him play a key role in keeping Everton up on the final day.
Over 34 Premier League appearances, the £58k-per-week gem – hailed “outstanding” by Frank Lampard – has averaged 49.4 touches, 1.4 interceptions, 1.7 tackles, 2.6 clearances and 3.4 duels won per game, proving that he is a strong defensive presence on the pitch.
Not only that, Everton have kept seven of their eight clean sheets this season when Mykolenko has been deployed in the left-back role, further demonstrating the positive impact the Ukrainian can provide in the back four.
A solid defensive performance will be just as important as a hungry attacking threat for Everton today and tallying up a ninth clean sheet against the Cherries would put the Merseyside club in a great position to survive relegation.
With that being said, it will be a no-brainer for Dyche to unleash Mykolenko in the starting eleven should he be ready to start this afternoon, as his dominance in his position could be integral in Everton’s survival.
