Chelsea welcomes another struggling mid-table side to Stamford Bridge on Thursday when Rafa Benitez’s Everton comes to town. The visitors were just torn apart by Conor Gallagher and Crystal Palace, now Gallagher’s parent club will have its go at the Premier League’s 14th-placed team. Thomas Tuchel will welcome the Toffees as they represent a realistic opponent to get his men back firing on all cylinders. Despite losing just one of their last five, the Blues haven’t kept a clean sheet in their last six and the dropped points have seen them fall to third in the table.
The home side is finally getting a handful of players back from injury with Trevoh Chalobah and N’Golo Kante being fit enough to make the bench. The list of players sidelined now only contains two names: Ben Chilwell (ACL problem) and Mateo Kovacic (COVID-19). This means there isn’t any room for the Blues to hide any longer, they must produce, especially against a poor Everton squad that is dealing with absences of its own. It’s the blue of London against the blue of Liverpool from Stamford Bridge on Thursday night.
Here is how The Pride of London team sees the contest playing out:
Hugo Amaya: 2-1 Chelsea
A close win once more, but a more convincing performance. Everton knows the best way to beat Chelsea is to let Chelsea beat itself. However, Tuchel will be aware of this approach and make tactical revisions. One mistake will result in Everton’s goal, but goals by Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner will give the team the three points.
Tan Yi Hao: 2-0 Chelsea
The Toffees have been poor this season and, with all due respect, present a great opportunity for the Blues to rediscover some form following the loss to West Ham and unconvincing wins over Watford and Leeds. Chelsea to finally keep a clean sheet after conceding eight in its last three games. Lukaku to start and score.
Varun Dani: 3-0 Chelsea
Momentum is a pivotal part of any sport, especially during a winter stretch in English football. Every result plays on the team’s mind as the results seem to progressively have a higher impact on the team’s seasonal objectives. The smash-and-grab win against Leeds United was not pretty, far from it, but it gave the team a necessary lift and vital three points. The Everton game will then be a transitional match to returning to the impenetrable Blues, with Werner and Lukaku getting the job done up front.
Mike Malley: 2-1 Chelsea
The Blues have not looked their best in recent matches and this contest against an, albeit struggling, Everton side will be no walk in the park. Tuchel and his staff have managed to navigate this poor run of form relatively well, but Man City and Liverpool are showing absolutely zero signs of slowing down anytime soon. If Chelsea is to seriously contend for this season’s EPL title, then the team will need to get back to winning ways, and a victory at the Bridge on Thursday would be a massive step in the right direction.
Leighton September: 5-0 Chelsea
We saw Man City put three goals past Everton, Liverpool put four goals past its rival and most recently, Crystal Palace put the Toffees to the sword. Benitez is really on the cusp of being sacked and another humbling result will put the Everton hierarchy under real pressure. Chelsea has been boosted of late by key players returning to fitness. Lukaku will be very much up for this match against his former club. The Blues will steamroll the Toffees under the lights at Stamford Bridge.
Anthony Gatt: 3-1 Chelsea
It is a fact that Chelsea will win 3-1 Thursday night. Everton is awful, with its only win in its last 10 games coming against Arsenal. Lukaku will score a brace against his former side and add more misery to the Toffees and Benitez.
Gabe Henderson: 4-0 Chelsea
It’s all too familiar, no? A struggling Everton side coming to Stamford Bridge amidst a COVID-19 crisis. The Blues’ injuries force a few changes in the middle of the park. The home side is struggling at the moment. It’s a mirror image of the last pre-lockdown game against the Toffees. Chelsea won 4-0 on the afternoon and although there will be no Scottish Iniesta in midfield for Tuchel’s team, the Blues will get the job done relatively easily.
Kevin Peacock: 2-0 Chelsea
Whilst Manchester City and Liverpool seem to have little trouble beating teams like Everton; they always seem to be a thorn in Chelsea’s side. That’s not particularly down to Tuchel, perhaps it’s purely a Chelsea thing. Fortunately, the injury list is slowly subsiding and although there will be notable absentees, hopefully the Blues can get the annual disaster that is called December back on track. The key to this game could be the return of Lukaku to Chelsea’s front line, his path back to fitness has been a slow one and his few recent appearances have not inspired much hope. Maybe a game against a former club will inspire him. Two goals, not celebrated by the Belgian, seal the win.
Barrett Rouen: 3-0 Chelsea
Everton really is in a bad way at the moment and we are, in my belief, starting to arrest our slump in form. We’ll have some good players returning to full health and the Toffees seem primed to suffer for that.
Olaoluwa Nwobodo: 4-0 Chelsea
Everton is either a tough game or an easy game, there’s no inbetween. The players are as tired as the fans of Chelsea as their side leaks goals in every week. This is only solvable if every player works together to fix it. The Blues have not played well lately, that needs to change soon.
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