Everton vs Chelsea
Date: 07/12/2019
K/O: 15:00
Venue: Goodison Park
Referee: Craig Pawson
Chelsea visit managerless Everton this weekend as they look to keep in pursuit of the top of the table and consolidate their place in the top four.
Everton announced that they had parted ways with Portuguese manager Marco Silva on Thursday and Duncan Ferguson will take charge while they look for a new manager. After a 5-2 thumping from rivals Liverpool, the Toffees slipped into the bottom three and the board decided a change is needed.
David Moyes has been linked with an interim return while the club search for a more permanent solution. Everton sacked Silva amidst their most difficult run of fixtures. Having already lost to Leicester and Liverpool, they now face Frank Lampard’s young and attacking Chelsea team.
The London club recovered from two back-to-back Premier League losses against Manchester City and West Ham with a 2-1 win midweek against Aston Villa. Lampard has impressed critics with how well he has implemented his tactics this season with a balance of experience and youth.
They will certainly have their tales up against a team they see as easy prey. However, if an Everton team under the guidance of Big Dunc play anything like their temporary gaffer, they may be in for a physical affair at Goodison Park.
Silva’s biggest problem was his difficulty organising a strong defence and Ferguson will have to rectify this quickly against a team who have scored 30 goals so far this season.
Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham have been on fire this season as they have taken the Premier League by storm. Abraham’s 11 goals this season puts him second behind Jamie Vardy in the top goalscorers list and he is sure to cause Everton problems. Meanwhile, Mount’s creativity has been key to Chelsea’s success and he earned himself a goal midweek. A performance that displays this fine form could spell trouble for a wounded Everton side.
Team News
Everton
Everton look to be without Fabian Delph who has been a key man in midfield this season. They are also set to be without Seamus Coleman while Yerry Mina is also a doubt.
It is difficult to predict what type of team they will field as a defensive approach may be taken in the search for some much-needed points.
Chelsea
Chelsea look to have a full selection available with Tammy Abraham likely to feature despite being subbed against Villa. If Lampard feels he can break Everton quite easily, he is likely to field a very attacking team.
Predicted Starting XIs
Everton (4-5-1): Pickford; Sidibe, Holgate, Keane, Digne; Davies, Schneiderlin, Iwobi, Sigurdsson, Bernard; Calvert-Lewin
Chelsea (4-3-3): Kepa; James, Christensen, Zouma, Azpilicueta; Kante, Kovacic, Mount; Pulisic, Abraham, Willian
Score Prediction: Everton 1-3 Chelsea
After their showing against Liverpool, Everton showed that they are capable of goals but not defending. Too much to change overnight and it is likely that a free-scoring Chelsea sign will find the back of the net more than once.
