Moyes gives Everton injury update on Mykolenko and Branthwaite ahead of Chelsea clash

Everton head into Saturday's Premier League meeting with Chelsea at Hill Dickinson Stadium with David Moyes having provided the latest word on his squad's fitness, and several outlets have been tracking what it means for the weekend's line-up.

Read Everton reports that Moyes' injury list has "shortened" ahead of the game, with Merlin Röhl among those featuring in the latest fitness tracker alongside Mykolenko and Norgaard (Read Everton). Sports Mole similarly says Moyes has delivered an update on the squad covering Mykolenko, Branthwaite and Norgaard specifically with this Chelsea clash in mind (Sports Mole).

The Liverpool Echo goes further on the detail, reporting that Moyes has confirmed a "Jarrad Branthwaite injury concern" while also giving an update on Vitalii Mykolenko's own fitness situation during his pre-match press duties (Liverpool Echo). This chimes with Royal Blue Mersey's framing, which states that both Branthwaite and Mykolenko "face fitness tests" as Everton prepare to host Chelsea in Saturday's early kick-off (Royal Blue Mersey).

All four sources agree that the Chelsea fixture is the context for these updates, with Royal Blue Mersey adding the extra detail that it's a notable early clash between fifth-placed Everton and sixth-placed Chelsea, with both sides level on ten points and the Toffees ahead only on goal difference (Royal Blue Mersey). None of the snippets give a definitive verdict on whether Branthwaite or Mykolenko will actually be passed fit, with the outlets instead framing it as fitness tests or ongoing concerns to be monitored before kick-off.

Taken together, the picture across Read Everton, Sports Mole, the Liverpool Echo and Royal Blue Mersey is consistent: Moyes has an improving but not entirely clean bill of health, with Branthwaite and Mykolenko the two key fitness calls ahead of facing Chelsea, while Röhl and Norgaard are also being monitored as part of the wider squad picture.

Written with the help of AI, using the headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.