Everton begin life without Marco Silva by welcoming Chelsea to Goodison Park in the Premier League’s early kick-off on Saturday. The Toffees have slipped into the bottom-three for the first time this season, while Chelsea are six points clear in fourth.
Three straight defeats left the Everton hierarchy with little choice but to sack their manager. The Merseysiders have won just four of their 15 league games this season, and come into this game on the back of a humiliating 5-2 thrashing against rivals Liverpool.
Michael Keane and Richarlison got on the scoresheet for Everton at Anfield, but they were ultimately outplayed in every department. That defeat was the last straw for Silva.
Defeats to Norwich and Leicester prior to the derby loss have left the Toffees in a sticky situation. Former boss David Moyes is the bookies’ favourite to take the vacant managerial role. But whoever comes in has got some serious work to do.
On the other hand, Frank Lampard has been working wonders at Chelsea. Following back-to-back defeats, the Blues returned to winnings ways with a 2-1 victory over Aston Villa in midweek.
Chelsea sorely missed Tammy Abraham in their defeat to West Ham, but their star striker returned from injury with a goal and an assist against Villa. Fellow youngster Mason Mount grabbed the other goal for Lampard’s side.
After winning nine of their 15 games this term, Chelsea are sitting pretty in the top-four. Considering everything that’s happened behind the scenes at the club recently, the Blues are enjoying a promising season.
Chelsea have actually picked up the majority of their points on the road this season, so that doesn’t bode well for Everton. Still, the Toffees have performed better at home in 2019/20, but they will have to be at their best to keep out Chelsea on Saturday in the Premier League.
Remarkably, Chelsea have failed to find a win in their last three meetings with Everton. Two goalless draws and a 2-0 win for Everton last season will give the home side some hope this time around.
Having said that, Chelsea claimed four straight victories in this fixture prior to that, and when you consider the current form of the two teams, Chelsea should win this one.
Following a lengthy spell on the sidelines, Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger is almost ready to return from injury. Fabian Delph and Seamus Coleman are also close to returning to first-team action for Everton.
Forebet predicts that Chelsea will heap yet more misery on Everton this weekend. Both teams are likely to find the back of the net, but Chelsea should outscore Everton comfortably.