Chelsea vs Everton

Stamford Bridge forms the backdrop for a tasty-looking Premier League clash between Chelsea and Everton.

Chelsea’s mini-revival, consisting of back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time since mid-October and Champions League quarter-final qualification, has brought the optimism back to the Bridge faithful’s faces. After netting under 1.5 goals in their first ten league matches in 2023, Graham Potter’s side thumped Leicester City 3-1 last weekend, scoring as many goals in that outing as they had in their seven previous league games combined. Everton’s visit to Stamford Bridge bodes well for Chelsea’s bid to stay on the upward trajectory, considering they’ve not lost any of their last 27 Premier League home H2Hs (W15, D12) since going down in 1994. Emulating a 1-0 win from the reverse fixture would see the ‘Pensioners’ record three consecutive home clean sheets in all competitions for the first time since September 2021.

As for Everton, last weekend’s 1-0 home win over Brentford may have helped them snap a three-game winless Premier League run (D1, L2), but they still begin this round only one point clear of the relegation zone. Since Sean Dyche’s appointment earlier this year, only five teams have picked up more Premier League points than Everton (10 – W3, D1, L3), but it has nothing to do with their wasteful away form. Indeed, before holding Nottingham Forest to a 2-2 draw on their last travel, the ‘Toffees’ had lost three consecutive away league matches by 2+ goals ‘to nil’ and are still waiting for their first top-flight triumph on the road since October (D3, L6). By extension, they’ve won just two of their last 30 Premier League games on hostile turf (D8, L20), underlining their status as pre-match outsiders.