One of the standout fixtures in the latest round of Premier League matches will take place at Stamford Bridge on Monday evening as Chelsea welcome Everton to the English capital.
Chelsea are currently fourth in the table, one point clear of fifth-placed Everton, but the Toffees have a game in hand over Thomas Tuchel's side as both battle to finish in the Champions League spots.
Match preview
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Chelsea moved into fourth position on Thursday evening courtesy of an impressive 1-0 win away to the champions Liverpool, with Mason Mount scoring the only goal of the contest at Anfield.
The Blues are still unbeaten since Tuchel's arrival at the end of January, with the German winning seven and drawing three of his 10 matches in charge of the London giants.
Chelsea had drawn back-to-back league games with Southampton and Manchester United ahead of the trip to Anfield but managed to return to winning ways against Jurgen Klopp's side, who are also locked in a top-four battle with the likes of Man United, Leicester City, West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur.
Arguably only Manchester City are certain of a top-four finish, and Tuchel's team would move to within one point of Man United if the Red Devils lose Sunday's Manchester derby and Chelsea manage to win here.
The Blues have the third-best home form in the league this season, collecting 23 points from 13 matches, but they will be taking on an Everton side with the fourth-best away form in England's top flight, and there is no question that the Toffees will be eyeing a Champions League spot.
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Everton also picked up a huge three points on Thursday evening as a second-half effort from Richarlison handed them a 1-0 win over struggling West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns.
Carlo Ancelotti's side have now won each of their last three in the Premier League without conceding, which has seen them rise into fifth position in the table, one point behind Chelsea with a game in hand.
Only Man City (20) have won more matches than Everton (14) in England's top flight this term, and another positive result at Stamford Bridge would leave the Merseyside giants in a strong position ahead of three winnable games against Burnley, Crystal Palace and Brighton & Hove Albion.
Everton, as mentioned, have been impressive on their travels this season, and they will be looking to complete their first league double over the Blues since the 1978-79 campaign, having ran out 1-0 winners at Goodison Park in the reverse game back in December.
That said, Chelsea are unbeaten in their last 25 Premier League home games against Everton and recorded a 4-0 win when the pair locked horns at Stamford Bridge last term.
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Team News
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Chelsea could welcome back experienced defender Thiago Silva, who has recently been struggling with a thigh problem, although Tuchel is unlikely to take any risks when it comes to the Brazilian, meaning that Andreas Christensen could again be given the nod in the middle of the defence.
Tammy Abraham is also a slight doubt with an ankle problem, but the home side are otherwise in excellent shape, leaving Tuchel with a number of decisions to make all across the pitch.
There are expected to be changes from the side that lined up at Anfield, with Olivier Giroud potentially returning to lead the attack, while Marcos Alonso, Christian Pulisic, Mateo Kovacic and Kai Havertz are pushing for starts.
As for Everton, Yerry Mina, Fabian Delph and Jean-Philippe Gbamin are definitely unavailable through injury, while there are also doubts over Seamus Coleman, Tom Davies, James Rodriguez and Robin Olsen.
Ancelotti is hopeful that Davies will be able to shake off a knock to feature in the middle of the park, while Allan and Gylfi Sigurdsson could also be in line for spots in the team.
Richarlison has scored in each of his last four Premier League appearances, and the Brazilian will again operate alongside Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the final third of the field.
Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Mendy; Azpilicueta, Christensen, Rudiger; James, Kante, Jorginho, Alonso; Mount, Giroud, Werner
Everton possible starting lineup:
Pickford; Holgate, Godfrey, Keane, Digne; Doucoure, Allan, Davies; Sigurdsson; Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison
We say: Chelsea 1-1 Everton
Everton have shown their top-four credentials in recent weeks, and the Toffees will now be eyeing another positive result as they push towards the Champions League spots. Chelsea have been impressive since Tuchel's arrival, but we can see the Blues dropping points against Ancelotti's improving side.
Top tip
Video prediction
Watch the Sports Mole Football Shorts prediction for this game below:
Matt Law
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Chelsea win with a probability of 61.74%. A draw had a probability of 21.9% and a win for Everton had a probability of 16.41%.
The most likely scoreline for a Chelsea win was 1-0 with a probability of 12.17%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (11.48%) and 2-1 (9.81%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (10.39%), while for a Everton win it was 0-1 (5.5%). The actual scoreline of 2-0 was predicted with an 11.5% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Chelsea would win this match.
