This Everton side are competing for the top four places and at this moment in time are a stone’s throw away from being in the mix for the title which is remarkable considering that they finished 12th last season.
All credit must go to Ancelotti and on Wednesday they come up against one of the title contenders who were not expected to be in the hunt and that is Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester City side.
Both of these sides will be ecstatic if they get top four this season never mind the title and personally for Ancelotti it would mean a lot to be back in the competition especially considering he has won it three times.
In his press conference he was asked whether he misses the Champions League and he said yes.
The same can be said for all Everton fans as the last time the club was in the European Cup proper was in 1971, which is a long time ago, only people over 50 will remember it.
That is how long it has been.
The Italian then said: “I think it’s the best competition in the world. As I said when I arrived here, to take Everton into the Champions League is a fantastic motivation for me personally. It’s a great desire.”
If Everton can beat Leicester City to do the double over them this season, they will set another huge marker down for their intentions this season, this will be their best chance of securing a top four place due to how bizarre the campaign is turning out to be.
It is just an annoyance for Everton that there are about six or seven other teams thinking the same thing.
After a good performance against Sheffield Wednesday albeit relatively straightforward it will be interesting to see if Everton can take that form into the league game.
It will be a good indicator to see how fresh the team is with the FA Cup game being the first game since the 12th of January.
Two midfielders will be unavailable for Everton in this vital game and they are two of the summer signings.
Allan has been ruled out through injury yet again even though his original problem was not meant to be this serious, so it is a little bit of a worry as the last thing Everton need is an injury prone midfielder.
Also, Abdoulaye Doucoure is suspended and will not start in the Premier League for the first time this season so we shall see how big of a miss the Frenchmen will be to Ancelotti’s side.
However, Lucas Digne and Alex Iwobi will be back after missing the FA Cup game.
Luckily enough though as soon as one midfielder is not available another one is as Fabian Delph is back from his injury, but it does not look like he will start.
Ancelotti spoke about his midfield options saying: “Tom Davies in the games he played, played really well.
“Andre Gomes did well in the last game, but I know Mason (Holgate) can also play in midfield.”
Mason Holgate as the defensive midfielder would be great given his qualities when in the backline but more importantly his ability to break the lines and make progressive passes would be a great asset in the midfield.
So, there is no surprise that Ancelotti is happy to have him as an option.
In the reserve fixture Holgate scored after Richarlison scored from a long-range effort another hard fought performance would be appreciated from the supporters at home.
It will be another step to getting into Europe’s elite competition if Everton beat one of the most inform sides in the league.
If Ancelotti is missing it as much as he says he is, a top class performance awaits.
Written by Elliot Thompson
