James McCarthy has been ruled out of Everton's game against Tottenham on Sunday, while manager Roberto Martinez faces an anxious wait to see if Tom Cleverley is passed fit to feature at Goodison Park.
Both midfielders were hurt in Everton's 4-3 defeat to Stoke on Monday and Martinez could find himself forced to turn to Darron Gibson or Muhamed Besic against Mauricio Pochettino's in-form team.
Republic of Ireland international McCarthy, who has another groin problem, is the greater worry and Martinez said in a news conference: "James McCarthy is not going to be available for the weekend. His old injury flared up. We need to find out exactly what the situation is.
"With Tom Cleverley, we'll have more information today [Wednesday] on his position for the weekend. It's his calf and his Achilles tendon. He was feeling really tight and we need to see if there's any damage there."
Captain Phil Jagielka has not played since October because of a knee injury but, while he is on course for a comeback early in January, it will not be against Tottenham.
Martinez has earmarked either the Capital One Cup semifinal against Manchester City on Wednesday or Saturday's FA Cup tie with Dagenham & Redbridge for the centre-back's return.
"This weekend will be too early, but he will be involved within the next three games," he added. "If it's not Spurs or Manchester City, it will be in the FA Cup third round. I would say in the next seven to 10 days.
"We need to make sure he gets the final stage of his preparation. Medically, he's got the green light. It's about making sure he gets a good programme to get match fit."
Wingers Aaron Lennon and Kevin Mirallas were not in the squad against Stoke, but both are available to face Tottenham.