If he doesn't, or worse, doesn't even make the bench, the good work done by Moyes in dropping him for the win over Reading will be undone as it will look less like strong management and more like spite.
The manager has made his point and, according to Tim Howard, Yakubu has cleared the air with the rest of the squad.
The Everton stopper has stated that Moyes has dealt with the situation and added: "Yak has spoken to us and the sooner we get past it, the better. Beating Reading was a great way to get past it."
Howard also said, possibly a bit too enthusiastically: "We love The Yak. He's been a hugely positive influence on us, not just with the amount of goals he has scored for the team but in the dressing room as well."
The bad news for Everton is that Mikel Arteta misses the game with a groin strain and has travelled to Spain to see a specialist.
Why? Are there no groin strain specialists in this country?
Steven Pienaar also misses the game with a swollen ankle, so he either genuinely did get crocked in training with South Africa or is trying a bit to hard to stick to his story and Thomas Gravesen also misses the match with a knee injury.
But did anyone actually think he'd play for us again this season anyway?
Jack Rodwell and Dan Gosling, perhaps the only young Everton reserve players that aren't currently out on loan, travel with the squad, presumably to make up the numbers.
And Moyes will have to start with 11 from this motely crew:
Howard, Wessels, Hibbert, Neville, Lescott, Yobo, Jagielka, Baines, Valente, Carsley, Osman, vd Meyde, Cahill, Fernandes, Yakubu, Vaughan, Johnson, Anichebe, Rodwell, Gosling.