Everton manager Sean Dyche must start defender Yerry Mina as the Toffees welcome Manchester City to Goodison Park on Sunday.
Indeed, the £27m centre-half was immense throughout Monday’s 5-1 win at Brighton & Hove Albion and could be key to stopping goal machine Erling Haaland.
Haaland has had an unreal campaign for City with 35 Premier League goals in 32 games, and 47 overall strikes in 51 games in all competitions.
The Norwegian international has already scored against the Blues this season, but his first half effort was cancelled out by a superb Demarai Gray strike as Everton returned from the Etihad with an unexpected point last December.
Memorably, Everton’s backline seemed to get under the skin of the 22-year-old forward and he even ran away from an outraged James Tarkowski following a rash challenge on Vitali Mykolenko.
Mina could be secret weapon for Haaland, but Everton know City are a clinical eleven
Tarkowski will likely start again, this time alongside former Barcelona defender Yerry Mina, and there are few players in the Premier League capable of winding up the opposition more than the 28-year-old Colombian.
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His proclivity to taunt opposition players has paid dividends for Everton before, memorably during the 1-0 over Chelsea at Goodison Park last season, when Mina clearly unsettled Kai Havertz and Cesar Azpilicueta.
Of course, there is far more to Manchester City than Erling Haaland, but stopping such an in-form individual will be key for Everton if Sean Dyche’s side are to get anything from the game.
With Pep Guardiola’s side preparing for a Champions League semi-final second leg next week, after Tuesday’s 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu, hopefully City will come to Goodison Park with one eye on their European ambitions.
With just three Premier League games remaining, Yerry Mina is exactly the type of defender Everton need right now to avoid relegation.