It’s the shortest month but Everton play their last of six matches in February on Wednesday as they travel to Brentford. With a significant injury list including Iliman Ndiaye, Dwight McNeil, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Armando Broja, Youssef Chermiti, Orel Mangala, Seamus Coleman and Nathan Patterson, Blues boss David Moyes will be hoping that a much lighter schedule in March enables him to get some of his stars currently on the treatment table back in action.

In terms of the fixture list, Everton go from feast to famine. A combination of elimination from the FA Cup plus an international break means that a trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers on March 8 and a home game against Moyes’ previous employers West Ham United on March 15 are their only subsequent matches before the next Merseyside Derby at Anfield on April 2, when the Blues will cross Stanley Park for the last time to face Liverpool before moving to their new 52,888 capacity stadium on the Mersey waterfront next season.

The trip to the Gtech Community Stadium sees Everton head to London unbeaten in their last six Premier League encounters under Moyes, even though the squad is currently down to the bare bones. The last time the Blues were in the capital, on-loan Flamengo man Carlos Alcaraz provided an assist and then a match-winning goal on his first start for the club.

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However, after serving his one-match suspension for being a post-match sending off for a second booking following the 2-2 draw with Liverpool, Abdoulaye Doucoure returned to the side for the 2-2 draw with Manchester United and netted his team’s second goal. The potential dilemma over this pair would appear to be Moyes’ only significant selection dilemma against the Bees.

Ashley Young was a regular at right-back this season under Sean Dyche but has made way for Jake O’Brien since Moyes came in. The oldest outfield player in Everton history had an eventful cameo off the bench against the Red Devils – winning a stoppage time penalty that was then overturned – but unless there is a problem with either Jesper Lindstrom or Jack Harrison or the manager wants to go with a more defensive-minded wide player from the start, he seems poised to remain on the bench.

The same goes for Tim Iroegbunam who has slotted in well as a substitute in recent matches but seems unlikely to dislodge the effective Idrissa Gueye and James Garner partnership in the centre of the park. Centre-back Michael Keane has been the only other senior player on the bench of late but with captain James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite looking solid in the heart of defence, he too looks set to stay there.