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

Seeking to avoid a fourth consecutive defeat in all competitions, Chelsea travel to the Hill Dickinson Stadium to take on Everton in the Premier League on Saturday evening.

The Blues will attempt to complete the league double over the Toffees for the first time since 2016-17 following their 2-0 victory in the reverse future at Stamford Bridge three months ago.

Match preview

Chelsea head to Merseyside desperate to reset after a nightmare week that saw them suffer a 1-0 Premier League home defeat to Newcastle in between two losses against Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain, crashing out in the last 16 after a bruising 8-2 aggregate defeat.

The Blues, who were comfortably beaten 3-0 at home in the second leg on Wednesday, have now lost four successive Champions League knockout matches for the first time in their history, and the pressure is mounting on head coach Liam Rosenior after what he described as another “tough night” in the dugout.

Just four wins have been posted across Chelsea’s last 11 games in all competitions (D2 L5). This includes a run of one victory in five Premier League games (D2 L2) which has seen them slip to sixth in the table, though they still remain in the hunt for Champions League qualification as they sit only three points behind fourth spot with eight games remaining.

Defensive frailties continue to haunt the West Londoners. Since keeping a clean sheet in Rosenior’s first league game - a 2-0 win over Brentford in mid-January - Chelsea have conceded in eight straight Premier League matches, shipping 11 goals in the process.

With tricky tests against Man City, Man United and Liverpool looming, Chelsea can ill-afford to drop too many points heading down the home straight. The Blues have failed to win their last two league visits to Everton (D1 L1 - both at Goodison Park), but they head into Saturday’s contest boasting the joint-second best away record in the Premier League this term (W7 D4 L4).

After securing back-to-back victories over Newcastle United (3-2) and Burnley (2-0), Everton were unable to win a third league game in a row last weekend and their resilient display was in vain as they fell to a 2-0 defeat away against leaders Arsenal, conceding goals in the 89th and 97th minutes.

David Moyes was left “really, really disappointed” to come away from North London empty handed, but the Toffees boss still believes that his side are “close enough to be thinking” about European qualification, currently sitting eighth in the table and just two points behind Brentford in seventh.

Everton, who rank joint-sixth in the Premier League form table across the last 10 matches (W4 D3 L3), boast the fourth-best away record in the division this season and have picked up more points on the road (24) than they have at the Hill Dickinson Stadium (19) where they have won just one of their last seven home league games (D2 L4).

Following their aforementioned home victory over Burnley at the beginning of this month, Everton are looking to win successive Premier League matches at their new stadium for the first time. This is the latest into a top-flight campaign they have not won consecutive home games since April in the 2014-15 campaign.

Everton will take comfort from having lost only one of their last eight Premier League home meetings with Chelsea (W5 D2) – a 1-0 defeat in August 2022 – but they have failed to score in 12 of their last 19 top-flight matches against the Blues, including each of the last four in a row. Only against Man United (29) have they blanked in front of goal on more occasions against a PL opponent than they have versus Chelsea (28).

Everton Premier League form:

Chelsea Premier League form:

Chelsea form (all competitions):

Team News

Everton will be without injured dup Jack Grealish (foot) and Carlos Alcaraz (unspecified), and Chelsea loanee Tyrique George is ineligible to face his parent club, while James Tarkowski (unspecified) and Jarrad Branthwaite (thigh) are both doubtful after missing the defeat at Arsenal.

If neither Tarkowski nor Branthwaite are available to return, then James Garner, Jake O'Brien, Michael Keane and Vitaliy Mykolenko could all keep their places in a four-man defence. Garner could, however, move back into midfield to partner Idrissa Gueye.

Former Chelsea midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall set to start in an advanced central position, while Thierno Barry will hope to earn a recall up front at the expense of Beto, who has failed to score from the start in the last three games.

As for Chelsea, they have made a total of 96 changes to their starting lineup in the Premier League this season, the most of any team and already more than they did in the entirety of last season (95), and Rosenior is forced to make at least one change this weekend.

Trevoh Chalobah was stretched off with an ankle injury in midweek and will join Reece James (hamstring), Filip Jorgensen (groin) and Levi Colwill (knee) on the sidelined, while Malo Gusto, Benoit Badiashile (both illness) and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens (hamstring) will all be assessed.

If Gusto is not fit to feature, then either Malang Sarr or Josh Acheampong could deputise at right-back, while Wesley Fofana is set to replace Chalobah at the heart of the defence.

Joao Pedro has been involved in eight goals in his last eight away matches across all competitions (seven goals, one assist) and he is set to start again up front, while Alejandro Garnacho and Estevao Willian will both be pushing to earn a recall on either flank.

Everton possible starting lineup:

Pickford; O'Brien, Keane, Tarkowski, Mykolenko; Garner, Gueye; Armstrong, Dewsbury-Hall, Ndiaye; Barry

Chelsea possible starting lineup:

Sanchez; Acheampong, Sarr, Fofana, Cucurella; Caicedo, Santos; Palmer, Fernandez, Garnacho; Pedro

We say: Everton 1-1 Chelsea

Nine of the last 11 meetings between Everton and Chelsea have seen no more than two goals scored (Five Chelsea wins, three Everton wins and two draws) and another closely-contested battle could be in store this weekend.

The West Londoners will be regarded as slight favourites, but their recent poor form is a concern and we are backing Everton to frustrate the visitors en route to claiming at least a share of the spoils on home soil.

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