Toffees to stick with same XI

With Mikel Arteta now recovering back home in Spain following a stomach operation, Everton may well be unchanged for Sunday’s final league game of the season against Newcastle at Goodison Park.

They need just one point to be sure of fifth place and their third European qualification in four seasons. Only a defeat by Newcastle and an Aston Villa win at West Ham on the final day will rob the Toffees of automatic qualification for the UEFA Cup.

Tony Hibbert will continue at right-back, with skipper Phil Neville in the holding midfield role he occupied in last weekend’s 1-0 defeat at Arsenal.

Provisional squad: Howard, Hibbert, Yobo, Jagielka, Lescott, Baines, Valente, Carsley, Neville, Osman, Fernandes, Pienaar, Johnson, Yakubu, Anichebe, Wessels, Rodwell, Gosling.