Wesley Fofana (No. 33) Right centerback, France
Fofana has been phenomenal for the Blues in the last three games. It should be mentioned that his passing still needs improvement. His pass completion is only just satisfactory for a centerback. Potter will be hoping that Fofana doesn’t have any more injuries anytime soon, as Fofana has shown how valuable he can be to the team
Kalidou Koulibaly (No. 26) Centerback, Senegal
The Koulibaly remontada is fully on. The Senegal captain has been the Blues’ best-performing centerback in their last three games. He has been superb at the heart of the defense in the absence of Thiago Silva. Fans that expected the former Napoli man to be gone in the summer were perhaps a bit hasty.
Benoit Badiashile (No. 4) Left centerback, France
Badiashile has been the best January signing at the club, if not the league. He stepped into this Chelsea side and immediately showed his incredible composure, exquisite passing, and emphatic aerial dominance. Badiashile started the Leicester game from the bench and Potter got away with that decision.
The passing in the back line was not great. In fact, Koulibaly and Fofana completed 33% of the long balls they attempted, with the former attempting nine and the latter attempting six. Everton has James Tarkowski, who is also magnificent in the air, and Everton will want to make this game about set pieces and crosses.