Chelsea will be full of confidence as they travel to Goodison Park on Sunday. They’ve won their last eight games in all competitions. Their head-to-head record against their Merseyside opponents also favors them though Everton has won more of their home games against the Blues. With a dressing room full of highly motivated players all of who seem to be coming into their best form, it’s hard to say who will have more of an impact on the field but here we go.
Noni Madueke
The England winger has been in scintillating form. He took advantage of the opportunity presented by Pedro Neto’s suspension to stake a strong claim for that right-wing position with a fine performance against Brentford last weekend. And he followed his assist in that game with another one in Chelsea’s midweek encounter against Shamrock Rovers. It will be interesting to see if coach Enzo Maresca will allow Madueke to retain his place in the starting 11 or restore the well-rested Pedro Neto.
Cole Palmer
He didn’t have his most effective night in Chelsea’s last Premier League outing but if Everton under-estimate the ex-Man City man, it will be at their own peril. Besides his pair of coolly taken penalties, he was a constant thorn in the flesh of the Tottenham Hotspurs defense in the prior game. The Everton defence will do well to remember Palmer’s man-of-the-match performance during their visit to Stamford Bridge in April. The 22 year-old scored a penalty and three other goals to help the Londoners to a 6-0 win.
Christopher Nkunku
Until Marc Guiu’s hattrick on Thursday, the French striker was the top scorer in the UEFA Conference League. Though he left that game without a goal, Nkunku led Chelsea’s attack admirably, notching two assists. He will have to play second fiddle to the in-form Nicholas Jackson, but whenever Maresca decides to bring him on, he will be menace to the Toffees defence. Hopefully the Chelsea manager will allow him enough time to transfer his European form to this Premier League encounter.
Renato Veiga
With the over-eager Marc Cucurella earning himself a red card and automatic suspension at the end of the Brentford game, the Portuguese defender is likely to step into the left full-back position. He played the full 90 minutes in Thursday’s UEFA Conference League tie at center-back. The conditioning staff will therefore need to dig into their box of tricks to ensure Veiga is fresh enough to face Everton’s forwards after just a day or two of rest. If Maresca will want him to be as involved as Cucurella has been in Chelsea’s attacks, the versatile defender can expect to do a lot of running as he also tracks back to keep tabs on Iliman Ndiaye.
Moisés Caiceido
In those transition moments when Chelsea loses possession deep in Everton’s half, Caiceido will be called upon to cover the gaps left by the wing-backs. Sean Dyche will want his team to make the most of counter-attacking opportunities by releasing his wide men as quickly as possible. The Ecuadorian will need to be alive to these tactics and intercept passes and track runs and possibly commit a few professional fouls to prevent them from bearing fruit. His communication with the backline and Enzo Fernandez will be key to preventing Chelsea from conceding goals.
Levi Colwill
Chelsea’s young center-back will have his work cut out dealing with the aerial balls that Everton will surely try to find Dominic Calvert-Lewin with. He will need to be uncompromising in the air and square up to the physical presence of the striker while keeping his name out of the referee’s notebook. Colwill’s to-do list will also include marshalling the Blues’ backline to effectively apply the offside trap on Calvert-Lewin and the Merseysiders’ wingers.
Reece James
He won’t even be on the subs bench but at least he’s back in training, Maresca confirmed. Captain Reece James’ impending return to the dressing room will undoubtedly be a morale-booster for the rest of the squad.
Everton’s key men
Besides having the home-ground advantage, Everton will have their tails up following the 4-0 thrashing they handed Wolverhampton Wanderers on the same pitch two weeks ago. Last weekend they came away with a commendable point from the Emirates Stadium. Sean Dyche praised his side’s defensive solidity and seeing as they’ve not conceded a goal in 180 minutes of Premier League football, their backline will take some beating. Vitaly Mykolenko, Jarrad Branthwaite, James Tarkowski and Ashley Young gave nothing away against Wolves and the Gunners. Veterans Michael Keane and Seamus Coleman are on hand in case reinforcements are needed.
On the other hand, Chelsea will have little to fear from the Merseysiders’ attackers; they’ve not scored in their previous six games. The goals in Everton’s win over Wolves came from defensive midfielder Orel Mangala, Young and a pair of Craig Dawson OGs.