IVAN Campo is expected to return to the Wanderers midfield for this afternoon's Reebok showdown with Everton.

The Spaniard, available again after serving a two-match ban, is on standby to replace David Thompson, who is a doubtful after making his first Premiership start for the Whites in Saturday's 3-1 win at Wigan Athletic.

Thompson picked up a shin injury at the JJB Stadium but not before making an impressive contribution to a victory, secured by two second half goals by Andranik Teimourian, which took the Wanderers back into fifth place, just two points behind Arsenal.

Everton, who boast a superior goal difference, had edged into fifth spot the night before with an impressive 4-1 beating of Fulham at Goodison Park. But Wanderers restored their three-point advantage to set up a mouth-watering clash in a fixture vital to both club's hopes of a top six finish.

It's an advantage stand-in skipper Gary Speed is anxious to at least maintain, if not increase on a day that could see Sam Allardyce's Whites take a huge step towards nailing the UEFA Cup place that has been their target all season.

"We've had that gap before this season," said Speed, a former Everton player. "We've been fifth since November and we've had gaps of six, seven, eight and nine points and let them slip.

"What's important now is that we concentrate on ourselves and not hope that other people slip up. We've got to get as many points as possible, especially from our home games. We've got to win the games here and see where that leaves us.

"But Everton are in good form. I watched them on Friday night and they played excellent. They have some excellent players and they've had an extra day's rest, which doesn't help us.

"If we are to beat Everton, we are going to have to be on top form."

Thompson, signed from Portsmouth in the January transfer window and playing for a contract, admitted he only had himself to blame for the shin injury that could put him back on the sidelines.

"I told the gaffer on Friday that I sometimes go into stupid tackles," he said.

"I knew I was never going to win the ball but still tried to go for it . . . and ended up hurting myself.

"But I'm not going to pull out of tackles for the team. If there's a tackle there to be won, I'll go for it.

"Unfortunately I had to come off when I felt I still had a lot of running left in me, but I hope I can recover in time for the Everton game."

With skipper, Kevin Nolan serving the second of a two-match suspension, Andranik is expected to keep his place in midfield after his two-goal, match-winning show.

"The way he took his two chances was a great excitement to me," Allardyce said of the Iranian World Cup star he signed from Aboo Moslem last summer.

"Not only is he an accomplished, talented player who is learning how to play in the Premiership, but he looks like he's got a talent for scoring a goal from midfield with the timing of his runs.

"He could be a terrific player for us in the future.

"He won us three very valuable points on Saturday. We needed to get that gap again.

"It makes it very interesting going into the game against Everton, our nearest rivals, knowing that if we can put up another performance, we can clear the way for looking at that fifth spot which is what we want."