Team
news, stats and prediction ahead of Chelsea vs Everton in the Premier League
on Thursday (kick-off 7.45pm).
Team news
N'Golo Kante and Trevoh Chalobah will return from injury when Chelsea host
Everton at Stamford Bridge in Thursday's Premier League clash.
Midfielder Kante has been sidelined with knee trouble, while defender
Chalobah has shaken off a hamstring problem.
Midfielder Mateo Kovacic should finish isolating due to Covid-19 on Friday,
while left-back Ben Chilwell remains out of action due to knee ligament
damage.
Chelsea provisional squad: Mendy, Arrizabalaga, Rudiger, Christensen,
Chalobah, Sarr, Silva, Azpilicueta, James, Alonso, Hudson-Odoi, Kante,
Jorginho, Loftus-Cheek, Niguez, Barkley, Ziyech, Mount, Havertz, Werner,
Pulisic, Lukaku.
Everton forwards Richarlison (calf) and Andros Townsend (broken foot) are
set for weeks on the sidelines.
Left-back Lucas Digne, who was dropped for the last two matches after a
fall-out with manager Rafael Benitez, was due to return but reported ill on
Wednesday.
Midfielder Allan could come back after missing Sunday's defeat at Crystal
Palace with a groin problem, while captain Seamus Coleman's bruised foot
will be assessed.
Everton provisional squad: Pickford, Delph, Keane, Holgate, Godfrey, Iwobi,
Doucoure, Allan, Gomes, Gray, Rondon, Begovic, Kenny, Branthwaite, Gbamin,
Onyango, Simms, Tosun, Gordon, Dobbin.
Jones Knows prediction...
Not sure I'd want to be lashing into Chelsea here at 2/9 with Sky Bet having
watched them stumble their way to a rather fortunate victory over Leeds at
the weekend. The Blues have dropped their levels in the last three weeks and
it's hard to pinpoint why and how it's happened. Even Thiago Silva looked
rushed and sloppy against Leeds. Perhaps it's just a confidence thing and
Everton might just be the perfect tonic for the champions of Europe to find
it again. Everton are winless in six away league games, losing each of their
last four in a row and have a habit under Rafa Benitez of only asking
questions of teams when one or two goals behind. They can't afford to do
that at Stamford Bridge.
I'm going to swerve the match prices and concentrate on player shots with
Antonio Rudiger still overpriced in this particular market.
Rudiger, who loves a strike from distance too, has managed at least a shot
on goal in 14 of his last 15 appearances across all competitions and has had
two or more shots in six of his last 12 Premier League matches. Everton are
notoriously sloppy at defending set-pieces without Yerry Mina. On Sunday,
James Tomkins scored the eighth goal
Everton have conceded this season from set-pieces. They'll be soaking up
pressure and shots should be coming at Jordan Pickford from all angles.
Rudiger can fire two of them at 9/4 with Sky Bet.
SCORE PREDICTION: 2-0
BETTING ANGLE: Antonio Rudiger to have two or more shots at goal (9/4 with
Sky Bet)
Opta stats
Chelsea are unbeaten in their last 26 Premier League home games against
Everton (W15 D11) since a 1-0 loss in November 1994. If they avoid defeat
here, it would equal their longest ever unbeaten home run against an
opponent in their league history (27 vs Spurs between 1990 and 2016).
Everton have won three of their last five Premier League games against
Chelsea (L2), as many as they had in their previous 15 against them.
However, all of these victories have come at Goodison Park.
After beating Liverpool in all three meetings in all competitions in the
1984-85 campaign, Everton are winless in their last 12 competitive matches
against reigning European champions (D4 L8). They lost both such meetings
against Chelsea the last time the Blues were champions of Europe in 2012-13.
Of all teams to play more than one Premier League game on Thursdays, Chelsea
have the best win rate on this specific weekday in the competition, winning
seven of their 11 such games (64 per cent).
After losing four of their first five Thursday games in the Premier League
between 1996 and 2015 (D1), Everton are unbeaten in their last five played
on this day in the competition (W2 D3).
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