Opponent watch: Everton superstar rules out of crunch clash vs Chelsea

Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin will miss the Chelsea clash this weekend

Everton boss Sean Dyche has confirmed that striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin will miss the game against Chelsea on Saturday.

Calvert-Lewin has had a lot of problems with injuries this season. As a result of that, he has only played 756 minutes of football in all competitions this season.

When the 26-year-old plays, Everton are a different unit because of the pace, physical attributes and willingness to run the channels are there. We saw it against Arsenal at Goodison Park where the striker gave Gabriel and William Saliba a tough time all game long.

Unfortunately for him, he hasn’t even played a single minute since that game. Here’s what Dyche said when asked about the player’s fitness (h/t Daily Mail):

“He has felt something we have got to be careful with that’s all, and he has to be careful with.

“He wasn’t overly in my thinking for the Chelsea game regardless of anything else because [then] the international break comes and we can hopefully use that more wisely.”

It must be frustrating for the Everton boss to have such a talented player missing games due to multiple injuries. On the other hand, it is good news for Chelsea because that is one major threat of the opposition not being available for the game on Saturday.

After winning three games on the trot, Graham Potter and his men must be hoping to make it four in a row before going to the international break.

Although the fourth spot in the league looks like a distant thing at the moment, continuing to win games would carry on the momentum that can be used in the Champions League.

Truth be told, Chelsea would need momentum while facing Real Madrid in the quarter-final. And if they get the past European champions, one of Manchester City and Bayern Munich will be waiting.

More Chelsea News:

• Chelsea not keen to sign Denis Zakaria permanently in the summer
• Graham Potter enchants Chelsea fans Champions League assurance
• Wesley Fofana claims Chelsea star Mykhaylo Mudryk is quicker than Kylian Mbappe

All that is for after the break though. The focus should be on beating Everton. It won’t be easy against a team fighting for every point to stay in the league.