Everton vs Chelsea: Preview and Prediction
Frank Lampard’s Everton will begin their Premier League 2022-23 season against Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea at Goodison Park on Saturday.
After narrowly escaping relegation in the 2021-22 season, Lampard and his squad would be hoping for a competitive season.
Chelsea on the other hand did secure a third-place finish last season. However, they failed to challenge the big names, Liverpool and Manchester City. Thomas Tuchel would be hoping to meet those expectations this season.
Current Form
Everton could not have asked for a worse start to their pre-season. The Toffees were dominated and beaten 2-0 by Arsenal followed by an embarrassing 4-0 thumping at the hands of Minnesota United. Nevertheless, the club managed to get their act together and managed to win their last two friendlies against Blackpool and Dynamo Kyiv.
However, the pre-season ended on a bad note for Everton as Dominic Calvert-Lewin has sustained an injury which will keep him out for a month.
For Chelsea, the pre-season was one to forget. It started with a 2-1 win against Club America followed by a shock defeat against Charlotte and a bashing from Arsenal. The Londoners managed to secure a 3-1 win over Udinese.
Head to Head Record
This fixture has always managed to be a spectacle for the fans. Despite their failings last season, Everton managed to contain Chelsea in the Premier League twice. They managed to get a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge and a really important win 2-1 at Goodison Park under Frank Lampard.
Away to Everton has always been a dodgy fixture for Chelsea, who’d be hoping to shake off the previous shortcomings.
Team News
Dwight made a remarkable impact in the pre-season for Everton
Andre Gomes, Tom Davies, Andros Townsend, Seamus Coleman and Calvert Lewin are all out of this fixture. Likes of Alex Iwobi and Allan face a late fitness test for involvement in the game. In terms of positives for Everton, new signings Dwight Mcneil and James Tarkowski should be in contention to make their Premier League debut for their new club.
Tuchel has been pretty lucky in the injuries department. It looks like Chelsea will travel to Goodison with a fully fit squad bar Timo Werner and Ross Barkley who is deemed doubtful. After Romelu Lukaku’s loan back to Inter, it will be interesting to see how Tuchel sets his attack.
The German has openly questioned the commitment of a couple of Chelsea players including Timo Werner. However, the acquisition of Raheem Sterling from Manchester City should be a huge boost and the winger should in contention to make his debut straight away.
Predicted Starting Lineups
Everton (3-4-3): Jordan Pickford; Ben Godfrey, James Tarkowski, Michael Keane; Nathan Patterson, Abdoulaye Doucoure, Alex Iwobi, Vitalii Mykolenko; Anthony Gordon, Demarai Gray, Dwight Mcneil.
Goa (3-4-2-1): Edouard Mendy; Kalidou Kolibaly, Cesar Azpilicueta; Reece James, N’golo Kante, Matteo Kovacic, Ben Chilwell; Raheem Sterling, Mason Mount; Kai Havertz
Prediction
With the teams on paper, Chelsea must see this as a big opportunity to kick start their season with three points. With the transfer of Richarlison and injury to Dominic Calvert Lewin Everton will depend on Mcneil and Gray for getting a hold of the game in Chelsea’s half. We predict a 1-1 draw with Goodison park playing a huge factor for the Everton players.
