Seeking to end a disappointing stretch of results, Chelsea returns to Stamford Bridge to face a high-performing Everton side this Saturday afternoon in the Premier League.
The last meeting between these two teams was in April, where the West London club managed a narrow 1-0 home win in the top flight, thanks to a goal scored by Nicolas Jackson.
Since a standout 3-0 victory over Barcelona in the Champions League and earning a respectable point with ten men in a 1-1 draw against league leaders Arsenal at the end of November, Chelsea has struggled, going winless across three games at the start of December.
The Blues’ chances of automatically qualifying for the Champions League last 16 took a hit on Wednesday night when Atalanta BC came from behind to win 2-1 in Bergamo. This leaves Enzo Maresca’s team 11th in the 36-team League Phase, two points outside the top eight with two matches left.
In the Premier League, Chelsea previously lost 3-1 at Leeds United and drew 0-0 with Bournemouth in back-to-back games. These costly results have caused them to drop to fifth place in the league table, now eight points behind Arsenal at the top, though they are only one point away from the top four positions.
Maresca’s side goes into the Everton match having thrown away more points from winning positions in home Premier League games than any other team this season (eight). This is already one more point than they dropped from a leading position in the entirety of last season (seven).
Despite their recent difficulties, Chelsea should feel confident, as they have not lost in their last 30 top-flight home meetings with Everton (winning 17 and drawing 13). This is the Blues’ longest-ever unbeaten home run against a single opponent in their league history. Everton also holds a similar unwanted record at Leeds, where they went 36 games without a victory from 1953 to 2001.
Since David Moyes’s return as Everton manager on January 15 of this year, only Arsenal, Manchester City (both 13), and Chelsea (11) have achieved more Premier League victories without conceding a goal than the Toffees (10).
Everton is in high spirits, having won four of their last five top-flight matches, keeping a clean sheet in each win. Most recently, they beat Sean Dyche’s Nottingham Forest 3-0 last weekend, which propelled them to seventh in the table, just two points behind the top four and safely 11 points clear of the relegation zone.
Only four times before have Everton accumulated as many as 24 points from their first 15 Premier League games, and on three of those occasions, they finished the season inside the top seven. This recent form has naturally raised hopes on the blue side of Merseyside that Moyes can finally guide the Toffees back into European competition for the first time in nearly a decade.
Everton travels to Stamford Bridge aiming to win a third consecutive top-flight away match without conceding, something they haven't done since December 2008. They achieved eye-catching 1-0 victories in their last two road games against Manchester United and Bournemouth.
However, Everton has not won a league game away at Chelsea since November 1994 (1-0), and manager David Moyes has never won in any of his 20 Premier League away matches at Stamford Bridge (drawing 7, losing 13). The only away ground he has faced more often without a win is Liverpool’s Anfield (21 games).
INJURIES & SUSPENSIONS
The following players remain unavailable for selection: Liam Delap (shoulder), Levi Colwill (knee), Romeo Lavia (thigh), Dario Essugo (thigh), and Mykhaylo Mudryk (doping suspension).
Wesley Fofana sustained a freak eye injury during the midweek loss to Atalanta. However, manager Maresca is hopeful the defender will be available to feature against Everton, potentially partnering Trevoh Chalobah at centre-back.
After playing a full 90 minutes in midweek, captain Reece James might be rotated to the substitutes’ bench. Star playmaker Cole Palmer is set to return in an advanced midfield role, having been rested mid-week. Estevao and Alejandro Garnacho will be pushing for a return to the starting lineup on the flanks, possibly replacing Jamie Gittens and Pedro Neto.
As for Everton, Seamus Coleman (hamstring), Jarrad Branthwaite (hamstring), and Merlin Rohl (hernia) are all still sidelined with injuries.
Thierno Barry is expected to be fit despite picking up a minor shoulder problem after scoring his first club goal in the win against Forest last weekend.
Midfield duo Idrissa Gueye and Tim Iroegbunam are both available again after serving their respective suspensions. Gueye is likely to start in a deep-lying role alongside James Garner, while Iroegbunam is more likely to begin the match on the bench.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is Everton's joint-top Premier League scorer this season with four goals, netting three of those in his last four games (which is as many as he scored in his previous 62 matches combined for Leicester, Chelsea, and the Toffees). The 27-year-old could potentially be moved further up the pitch into an attacking position.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Sanchez; Gusto, Chalobah, Fofana, Cucurella; Santos, Fernandez; Estevao, Palmer, Garnacho; Pedro
Everton possible starting lineup:
Pickford; O'Brien, Keane, Tarkowski, Mykolenko; Garner, Gueye; Ndiaye, Dewsbury-Hall, Grealish; Barry
EXPERT PREDICTION
Chelsea 2-0 Everton
