Everton could be handed double boost for Chelsea after squad decision made

Nathan Patterson has been included in Scotland's squad for the upcoming international break.

The Everton right-back features in Steve Clarke's 23-man set-up for Euro 2024 qualifiers against Cyprus (25 March) and Spain (28 March).

Patterson hasn't played for the Toffees since suffering a medial ligament injury in a 4-1 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion on 4 January.

However, the defender has featured three times for Everton under-21s in recent weeks.

Speaking before last weekend's 1-0 defeat of Brentford, Blues boss Sean Dyche said that Patterson was still slightly lacking match sharpness.

However, the fact that the 21-year-old has been called up for Scotland suggests he could be ready to return to Everton's squad for this Saturday's trip to Chelsea in the Premier League.

Patterson has made 12 appearances for the Toffees this season - all under former manager Frank Lampard.

Meanwhile, supporters will also hope that Dominic Calvert-Lewin is back involved at Stamford Bridge. The striker has missed the previous six games with a hamstring issue. Calvert-Lewin did return to training last week, although Dyche did not deem the two sessions the England international was involved in as enough to be ready for a Premier League game.

But if Calvert-Lewin has an uninterrupted week at Finch Farm, he could well be deemed fit enough to feature on the bench.