Preview: Chelsea vs Everton - prediction, team news, lineups

Seeking to end a disappointing run of form, Chelsea return to Stamford Bridge to butt heads with a high-flying Everon outfit in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.

The two teams meet for the first time since April when the West Londoners claims a slender 1-0 top-flight home win, courtesy of a goal from Nicolas Jackson.

Match preview

Since claiming a statement 3-0 win over Barcelona in the Champions League and a respectable point with 10 men in a 1-1 draw with Premier League leaders Arsenal at the end of November, Chelsea have not performed at the desired level across three winless games at the start of December.

The Blues’ hopes of qualifying automatically for the last 16 of the Champions League were dealt a blow on Wednesday night, as Atalanta BC came from behind to secure a 2-1 victory in Bergamo, leaving Enzo Maresca’s men 11th in the 36-team League Phase table and two points behind the top eight with two games remaining.

Chelsea had previously suffered a 3-1 defeat at Leeds United and drew 0-0 with Bournemouth in back-to-back Premier League games, costly results which have seen them slip to fifth in the table and fall eight points behind Arsenal at the summit, though they are just one point behind the top four.

Maresca’s side head into their Stamford Bridge showdown with Everton this weekend having dropped more points from winning positions in Premier League home games than any other team this season (eight), already one more point than they dropped at home having led from the whole of last season (seven).

Chelsea should be confident of grinding out a positive result against Everton, though, as they are unbeaten in their last 30 top-flight home meetings with the Toffees (W17 D13) – this is the Blues’ longest unbeaten home run against an opponent in their league history, while only at Leeds have Everton endured a longer run without a victory (36 from 1953 to 2001).

Since David Moyes’s first game back in charge of Everton on January 15 this year, only Arsenal, Manchester City (both 13) and Chelsea (11) have recorded more Premier League victories without conceding than the Toffees (10).

Everton are in buoyant mood having won four of their last five top-flight matches without reply, most recently beating Sean Dyche’s Nottingham Forest by a 3-0 scoreline at the Hill Dickinson Stadium last weekend to climb up to seventh in the table, just two points behind the top four and 11 clear of the relegation zone.

Only four times previously have Everton accumulated as many as 24 points from their opening 15 Premier League games and on three of those occasions they have concluded the season inside the top seven. Understandably, their recent form has fuelled hope on the blue side of Merseyside that Moyes can finally return the Toffees to European competition for the first time in almost a decade.

Everton travel to Stamford Bridge this weekend seeking to win a third consecutive top-flight away match without conceding for the first time since December 2008, after claiming eye-catching 1-0 victories in their last two on the road against Manchester United and Bournemouth.

However, not since November 1994 (1-0) have Everton won an away league game at Chelsea, while Moyes is winless in all 20 of his Premier League away matches at Stamford Bridge (D7 L13), only facing Liverpool on the road more often without a win (21).

Chelsea Premier League form:

Chelsea form (all competitions):

Everton Premier League form:

Team News

Chelsea’s Moises Caicedo will serve the third and final game of his three-match suspension this weekend, while Liam Delap (shoulder), Levi Colwill (knee), Romeo Lavia, Dario Essugo (both thigh) and Mykhaylo Mudryk (doping suspension) remain unavailable for selection.

Wesley Fofana sustained an eye injury during a freak accident in the midweek defeat to Atalanta, but Maresca is hopeful that the defender will be available to feature against Everton, potentially alongside Trevoh Chalobah at centre-back.

After playing 90 minutes in midweek, captain Reece James could drop down to the substitutes’ bench, but star playmaker Cole Palmer is set to return in an advanced midfield role after being rested in midweek, while Estevao and Alejandro Garnacho will be looking to force their way back into the first XI on the flanks at the expense of Jamie Gittens and Pedro Neto.

As for Everton, Seamus Coleman, Jarrad Branthwaite (both hamstring) and Merlin Rohl (hernia) all remain sidelined with injuries, while Thierno Barry should be fit to feature despite sustaining a minor shoulder problem after scoring his first goal for the club in last weekend’s win over Forest.

Midfield duo Idrissa Gueye and Tim Iroegbunam are both available to return after serving suspensions. The former is expected to start in a deep-lying role alongside James Garner, while the latter is more likely to begin as a substitute.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is Everton's joint-top Premier League scorer this season with four goals, netting three in his last four games which is as many as he had scored in his previous 62 matches combined for Leicester, Chelsea and the Toffees. The 27-year-old could be moved up into an advanced midfield role behind the striker at the expense of Carlos Alcaraz.

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

We say: Chelsea 1-1 Everton

Everton have struggled to grind out positive results in away encounters with Chelsea for some time, but they will feel that they are facing the West Londoners at an ideal time given the contrasting form of the two teams.

Although the Blues will be regarded as favourites on home soil, we are backing the in-form Toffees to frustrate Maresca’s men and claim at least a share of the spoils at Stamford Bridge.

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