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Chelsea FC Visit Everton: Team News, Prediction and Stats

By Ollie Browning

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 30: Captain John Terry (3rdL) of Chelsea lifts the trophy with Frank Lampard following victory during the FA Cup sponsored by E.ON Final match between Chelsea and Everton at Wembley Stadium on May 30, 2009 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 30: Captain John Terry (3rdL) of Chelsea lifts the trophy with Frank Lampard following victory during the FA Cup sponsored by E.ON Final match between Chelsea and Everton at Wembley Stadium on May 30, 2009 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) /
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The FA Cup takes over this weekend as Chelsea FC and Everton square off in a quarter-final. Will the Blues be able to bounce back after Wednesday night?

Chelsea return to domestic action this Saturday, facing Everton in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. The Blues travel up to Merseyside looking to book their place in the semi-finals, and it’s all to play for as the FA Cup looks like Chelsea’s last chance to realistically win some silverware this season.

Following a disappointing midweek defeat to PSG, the Blues were knocked out of the Champions League, meaning that Hiddink’s men now have to solely fight on the domestic front. With Chelsea marooned in midtable, winning the FA Cup may be the only thing that can save the season.

Everton and Chelsea have already met twice this season in the Premier League, with the Toffees winning 3-1 at Goodison park last September. In the return fixture at Stamford Bridge, it looked like Everton were going to do the double over Chelsea, as they took a 3-2 lead into stoppage time. However, John Terry popped up in the 98th minute to salvage a draw that day, and Chelsea will be hoping for their first win against Everton this season.

Key Details

Everton v Chelsea FC, 12th March 2016, FA Cup Quarter-Finals
Venue: Goodison Park
Time: 17:30 GMT, 12:30 ET
TV: BBC One (UK), Fox Sports 2 (US), check your country’s local listings here

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 16: John Terry(1st L) of Chelsea celebrates scoring his team's third goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Chelsea and Everton at Stamford Bridge on January 16, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 16: John Terry(1st L) of Chelsea celebrates scoring his team’s third goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Chelsea and Everton at Stamford Bridge on January 16, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) /

Team News

Guus Hiddink has been handed a huge boost ahead of Saturday’s tie, as John Terry returns to the squad after being out since last month’s win against Newcastle. The Chelsea captain has been training intensely this week to return in time for the match.

Diego Costa and Eden Hazard are expected to feature against Everton after both picked up minor injuries in the PSG game on Wednesday. Costa was replaced because of a hip tendon injury while Hazard has been troubled by an ongoing hip problem since last year.

Chelsea fans are still hoping to see Alexandre Pato feature for the first time since he joined in January, but it’s more likely that Hiddink will prefer Bertrand Traore if Costa is absent.

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Everton will be hoping that midfielders Tom Cleverley and Gareth Barry will be fit enough to play after recovering from illness, but Aaron Lennon is unlikely to feature after picking up a hamstring injury. The hosts will also be without Kevin Mirallas, who is banned following the red card he picked up against West Ham last weekend.

Stats

This is the fifth time in the last eight seasons Everton have reached the quarter-final stage of the FA Cup.

Diego Costa has scored or assisted 17 goals in his past 15 games in all competitions for Chelsea (11 goals, 6 assists).

These two teams met in the FA Cup final in 2009, when Guus Hiddink was last in charge of Chelsea. The Blues won 2-1 thanks to goals from Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard.

Next: Branislav Ivanovic Comes Out In Defence Of Chelsea FC Teammate

Prediction

Chelsea should come out raring to go after the midweek defeat, but it will be tough. 2-1 to the Blues.

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