Everton's Lukaku has '50/50' chance of playing Saturday

Everton face the possibility of traveling to Liberty Stadium on Saturday without their leading scorer against Swansea City.

Manager Roberto Martinez says the team is taking a cautious approach with Romelu Lukaku as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury he suffered during a match on March 22, and could opt to rest the Belgian striker if he fails to show signs of improvement.

"Romelu Lukaku is the player we need to give as much time as we can before the game on Saturday," Martinez told reporters. "I would say at the moment, he's still 50-50. It's an injury we need to make sure is 100 percent cured before we put him on the pitch.

"At this stage of the season, we need to make sure he's 100 percent well. It's not a major problem. He's been working well over the last two days even though he hasn't joined the group yet."

While Lukaku's inclusion in the starting squad undoubtedly makes Everton a better team, the Merseyside club are enjoying a nice run of results after winning their last three matches to edge themselves closer to the top half of the Premier League table.

Saturday's encounter, however, is a tricky match-up against a stubborn Swansea side that sits nine points clear of Everton.

Lukaku leads the club with eight league goals through 30 matches thus far.