Chelsea vs Everton

Third-placed Chelsea are set to take on bottom-half Everton at Stamford Bridge in what appears to be a winnable Premier League task for the home side.

Chelsea chased in on two second-half penalties, turning a 1-0 deficit into a hard-fought 3-2 home win over Leeds United at the weekend. But a return of two wins from their last four Premier League fixtures (D1, L1) has seen the ‘Blues’ surrender the top spot to Manchester City. Now sat four points adrift of the league pacesetters, Thomas Tuchel’s men will be looking to extend their unbeaten Premier League home streak to six matches (W3, D2) and restore a one-point deficit. That’s very much in the realm of possibility, as the reigning Champions League holders are unbeaten in their last 26 top-flight home H2Hs (W15, D11) since falling to a 1-0 loss in 1994. On a less positive note, Chelsea have conceded eight goals across their last three outings in all competitions, as many as they had in their previous 18 combined.

In the meantime, Everton have failed to build on a come-from-behind 2-1 home triumph over Arsenal, succumbing to a lackluster 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace at the weekend. The ‘Toffees’ have now won just one of their last ten Premier League fixtures (D2, L7) as the pressure ramps up on under-fire boss Rafael Benitez. Adding to a long list of problems, the Merseyside visitors have lost their last four Premier League away matches on the trot, scoring just two goals while conceding nine in return in that sequence. A lack of early pace has seen Everton score a mere two first-half goals across their opening eight top-flight road trips this season, highlighting the potential for another stuttering start.