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Who Plays Centre-Back?

Sylvain Distin is 37 later this month. Phil Jagielka is 32. Both have played every minute of every one of Everton FC’s gruelling recent run of four games in 11 days – and it’s starting to show.

They will have had only 72 hours to recover from Wednesday’s game with Hull, before trying to track the movement of the Premier League’s in-form striker, Sergio Aguero.

Does Roberto Martinez send them out for a fifth start in 14 days?

Or does he recall Antolin Alcaraz, surprisingly announced as fit again at a Friday press conference.

The problem is that Alcaraz hasn’t kicked a ball in anger since injuring his shoulder against Swansea on November 1.

The Paraguayan was tossed in this time last year in similar circumstances and did well, the Blues beating Southampton, drawing at Stoke and trouncing QPR.

But Aguero, Nasri, YaYa Toure and co are a different proposition to Peter Crouch and Charlie Austin.

It’s a dilemma Martinez must solve, or Everton may suffer.

Should Everton - occasionally – mix it up?

Everton scored on Wednesday night from a long-ball forward, flicked on by the head of Romelu Lukaku for Kevin Mirallas to chase. But it was one of the rare occasions the Blues went route one.

The crowd may celebrate that the School of Science is on its way back, but several times in midweek they were also calling for Everton to be more direct and let Lukaku try and repeat his earlier success.

With Vincent Kompany injured City may be more vulnerable at the heart of their defence – and also have the distraction of a Champions League decider in midweek.

Can Everton take advantage by, occasionally, mixing it up?

Or will they stick to Roberto Martinez’s long-term principles of always passing from the back?

Will Mo Besic get through the 90 minutes without a caution?

Simple answer. Unlikely.

But does the Bosnian have the tactical discipline to track City’s midfield runners like Milner, Toure and Lampard?

He was caught in possession at times at White Hart Lane, and City will almost certainly press high up the pitch again.

The 22 year old has potential and talent, but he can also take unecessary risks – and the Etihad against an in-form Manchester City is not the place to be taking chances.