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Chelsea: Three things to look for as the Blues travel to Everton

By Gabe Henderson

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 08: Frank Lampard, Manager of Chelsea embraces Carlo Ancelotti, Manager of Everton after the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Everton FC at Stamford Bridge on March 08, 2020 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 08: Frank Lampard, Manager of Chelsea embraces Carlo Ancelotti, Manager of Everton after the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Everton FC at Stamford Bridge on March 08, 2020 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) /
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Chelsea’s French defender Kurt Zouma (L) celebrates scoring their second goal with Chelsea’s English striker Tammy Abraham (R) during the English Premier League football match between Burnley and Chelsea at Turf Moor in Burnley, north west England on October 31, 2020. (Photo by MOLLY DARLINGTON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Chelsea’s French defender Kurt Zouma (L) celebrates scoring their second goal with Chelsea’s English striker Tammy Abraham (R) during the English Premier League football match between Burnley and Chelsea at Turf Moor in Burnley, north west England on October 31, 2020. (Photo by MOLLY DARLINGTON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /

3. Which teams will show up?

Each side received drastic makeovers during the summer months, making this match relatively unpredictable. However, the one factor we do have to gauge this game is form. As briefly touched on during the previous slide, this gives Lampard’s men the upper hand.

The start of the season saw Ancelotti’s Everton steal the hearts of neutral spectators across the globe. The new-look Toffees spent numerous weeks atop the table after a series of convincing victories. It took six weeks for them to be beaten and the opening run included a win over Tottenham and a draw with Liverpool—even after going down to 10-men. The streak had many wondering if Everton had finally turned a corner and overcome the curse that’s plagued the club since the Premier League’s creation. Spoiler alert: it’s the same old Toffees this season.

Everton has lost to Newcastle, Manchester United and Leeds United since suffering the first defeat of the season in Southampton during late October. Further, the formerly first place Toffees have tumbled down to ninth after picking up just four points from their last five matches. Compare this to Chelsea and it spells trouble on Merseyside this Saturday.

The Blues stumbled out of the block in the start of the season, suffering from a series of injuries. Although those problems still exist, they have a lesser impact at this point. Lampard’s team is up to third in the Premier League table, just two points off the lead. Chelsea is also unbeaten in its last 14 matches across all competitions (17 if you count the loss on penalties in the Carabao Cup as a draw). The Blues have just one league loss all season, which came against the defending champion with Kepa Arrizabalaga in goal.

It’s safe to assume the Blues will bring their best this weekend, but whether this game is a toss up or a thrashing depends which Everton shows up. The Toffees have shown they are more than capable of keeping up with the best the English top flight has to offer, only on a good day though. If the Everton of old turns up, just hand the three points to Chelsea and save everybody some time.

Next. Chelsea Women blast Benfica away in first leg of round of 32. dark

What are three things you’ll be looking for? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!

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