Mariano Diaz heads five-man list of Lyon absentees for Everton Europa League tie

Lyon are dealing with several injury problems ahead of their Europa League meeting with Everton, with five players ruled out of the trip to Goodison Park on Thursday night (19 October).

Bruno Genesio's men visit Merseyside looking to secure their first win in Group E after back-to-back draws with Apollon Limassol and Atalanta and build on the momentum sparked by their stunning last-gasp victory over defending Ligue 1 champions AS Monaco last weekend.

However, they will have to do so without the services of joint-top scorer Mariano Diaz, who has notched seven goals in 11 appearances across all competitions since arriving from Real Madrid in June.

The 24-year-old netted Lyon's opener and played 90 minutes of that aforementioned five-goal thriller at Stade des Lumieres but is now said to be suffering from a groin injury.

Ferland Mendy was replaced by Fernando Marcal after 84 minutes against Monaco and has since been diagnosed with a thigh problem, according to the official Ligue 1 website. Fellow left-back Jeremy Morel has not featured since the 3-3 draw with Angers at the beginning of the month and remains sidelined.

Highly-rated 20-year-old midfielder Pape Cheikh Diop is yet to play a single minute of competitive football for Lyon due to an ankle issue sustained shortly after he joined Lyon from Celta Vigo and Clement Grenier's solitary outing of the 2017-18 campaign to date came with a four-minute cameo against Dijon in September. He is dealing with a foot complaint.

Big-spending Everton have also made a disappointing start to their first European campaign since 2014-15, with a listless 3-0 loss to Serie A outfit Atalanta in Reggio Emilia followed by a frustrating 2-2 home draw against Cypriot side Apollon Limassol in which the visitors netted an 88th-minute equaliser.

The goal-shy Toffees are also flattering to deceive in the Premier League and currently sit 16th after winning just two of their opening eight fixtures - a run that has seen the pressure increase on manager Ronald Koeman.

Everton will remain without long-term absentees Seamus Coleman, Ramiro Funes Mori, Ross Barkley and Yannick Bolasie against Lyon, while experienced winger Aaron Lennon is a doubt. Injury-plagued midfielder James McCarthy played 45 minutes for the club's Under-23s on Tuesday evening in a 3-1 defeat to Wolfsburg in the Premier International Cup.