Everton welcome Chelsea to Goodison Park on Sunday, where they will look to further distance themselves from the drop zone. The Blues won 1-0 away to the Toffees last season, but it is a fixture that they typically struggle in, with Everton winning four of the last five whilst hosting.
Everton
Sean Dyche seems to have finally discovered a perfectly balanced system, that ensures defensive solidity and an attacking threat. Despite the goals conceded statistic (20) supporting the former, Everton have only scored 18 goals this campaign, which is a huge underperformance considering they average 14.9 shots per game. Having said that, the Toffees have won three of their last four matches and despite being handed a -10-point deduction, they are now out of the relegation zone in 17th place.
The most recent match saw Everton host Newcastle. The home side won 3-0 despite being the underdogs, with Dyche crafting the perfect counter-attacking game plan. The tie was 0-0 up until Dwight McNeil’s opener in the 79th minute, and they pulled the Magpies apart shortly after.
Chelsea
Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea seemed to have the feel-good factor restored after their 4-1 away win over Tottenham. But since then, they have struggled to continue that momentum, deservedly losing two of their last three. The Argentine boss has had to juggle his squad around at times this season, which has led to inconsistencies on the field, and therefore the Blues sit in tenth place on 19 points.
Scoring goals hasn’t been a problem of late and their average per game is a respectable 1.73, yet their downfall has been their shaky defence, that has suffered 1.6 goals per game on average. We witnessed how vulnerable they are at the back versus Manchester United this week, who won 2-1 and racked up over 4xG.
Verdict?
Despite having immense support, Everton have found it difficult to find form at home this season, winning just two and losing five of their eight matches. Chelsea are nothing special on the road either, winning three and losing three of their seven away matches.
This match is set to be decided by fine margins. It is expected that Dyche will opt for a similar game plan that worked to perfection this week. Everton will find joy if they can play directly into Dominic Calvert-Lewin and ensure that bodies flood the box at any given opportunity. Chelsea will have most of the ball, but the question is whether they can break down the stubborn Everton low block. Cole Palmer’s creativity and deft touches around the box, and Raheem Sterling’s movement could be the key for Chelsea on Sunday. Both teams scoring is a likely outcome.
The final prediction is Everton 1-1 Chelsea.
