Everton vs. Chelsea – Will the Toffees Come Unstuck Again?

Chelsea will bid to extend their unbeaten streak to 18 games when they head to Goodison Park to face a struggling Everton side on Saturday.

The Blues remain third in the Premier League table after easing to a routine 3-1 victory over Leeds last weekend.

They had already sewn up qualification for the last 16 of the Champions League, so Frank Lampard was able to make 10 changes to his starting 11 for their midweek match against Krasnodar at Stamford Bridge.

All of those key players should be fresh for the game against Everton, and Chelsea should feel quietly confident in their chances of leaving Merseyside with all three points.

A Slump in Form

Everton came flying out of the blocks this season, winning their opening four matches and then battling to a 2-2 draw with champions Liverpool.

Since then, they have just one win, one draw and four defeats from their subsequent six matches, and they have tumbled down to ninth in the standings.

The Toffees lost 1-0 to Leeds a couple of weeks ago, and then they could only draw with relegation threatened Burnley last weekend.

They are low on confidence, and they still look weak at the back. Only three teams – Leeds, Fulham and West Brom – have conceded more goals than Everton this season.

Chelsea Look Strong

That does not bode well for the arrival of Chelsea. The Blues have the second highest goals tally in the Premier League so far, having scored 25 times in 11 matches.

There is a great deal of competition for places in attack, and the likes of Olivier Giroud, Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic and Tammy Abraham will all be desperate to get on the score sheet against Everton.

The Toffees really strengthened their midfield in the summer, but they still cannot match the quality of N’Golo Kante, Mason Mount, Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic.

Chelsea have made a habit of keeping clean sheets since Edouard Mendy replaced Kepa Arrizabalaga in goal, and they could keep the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin relatively quiet this weekend, while exploiting Everton’s defensive weaknesses.

Tip: Chelsea to win

Stake: One unit