Chelsea FC Take On Everton: Confirmed Line-Ups And Analysis
Chelsea FC travel to Goodison Park this afternoon to square off with Everton in a FA Cup clash. Here are the confirmed line-ups as we close in on kick-off.
Following Wednesday’s disappointing Champions League elimination at the hands of PSG, Chelsea will be desperate to keep their season alive by advancing in the FA Cup. With kick-off approaching, Guus Hiddink and Roberto Martinez have handed in their team sheets!
| Everton | Chelsea FC |
|---|---|
| Joel Robles | Thibaut Courtois |
| Seamus Coleman | Cesar Azpilicueta |
| Ramiro Funes Mori | Gary Cahill |
| Phil Jagielka (C) | Branislav Ivanovic (C) |
| Leighton Baines | Kenedy |
| Tom Cleverley | John Obi Mikel |
| Gareth Barry | Nemanja Matic |
| Aaron Lennon | Willian |
| James McCarthy | Cesc Fabregas |
| Ross Barkley | Pedro |
| Romelu Lukaku | Diego Costa |
| Subs | Subs |
| Tim Howard | Asmir Begovic |
| John Stones | Baba Rahman |
| Oumar Niasse | John Terry |
| Muhamed Besic | Ruben Loftus-Cheek |
| Leon Osman | Oscar |
| Gerard Deulofeu | Bertrand Traore |
| Arouna Kone | Loic Remy |
The interim boss makes one change to his team from the one that lost to PSG a few days ago. However, the switch will not particularly inspire the Blues fanbase.
Nemanja Matic comes into the team to pair up with John Obi Mikel. The Serb has been in poor form all season long, but away at Goodison Park, Hiddink evidently feels that the back four need to be well protected. Mikel and Matic will offer little going forward, but they should help negate what is a dangerous Everton attack.
Cesc Fabregas, as a consequence, moves up the field into the number 10 role. He has been finding his lost form in recent weeks from the deeper slot and will chance his arm in a slightly different position this afternoon. The Spaniard has shown himself to be ineffectual when the defence is allowed to press him, so it will be interesting to see how he copes.
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Elsewhere, Diego Costa starts. The Brazilian-born Spanish international hit the back of the net midweek, but was forced off after aggravating a tendon issue. Given the magnitude of the game, Costa will likely be playing through a lot of pain.
John Terry, meanwhile, only makes the bench. The defender returned to training this week and Hiddink suggested that he may start, but evidently his fitness is not quite up to the required level yet. Branislav Ivanovic will continue to stand-in at centre-back and as captain alongside Gary Cahill. Kenedy gets the nod on the left as he establishes himself as the favourite over Baba Rahman.
After also hobbling off against PSG, Eden Hazard does not make the matchday squad. Neither does Alexandre Pato, which has already provoked the ire of fans.
On the other side of affairs, Tom Cleverley is available after making a recovery from recent issues while Joel Robles continues in goal over the experienced Tim Howard. Aaron Lennon also starts despite limping off against West Ham last week.
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Furthermore, with the likes of Gerard Deulofeu and Arouna Kone on the bench, Martinez certainly has the weaponry to bring on should it be needed late into the contest.