Sean Dyche's team convincingly defeated Newcastle United 3-0 on Thursday, a day after Chelsea faced inconsistency with a 2-1 loss to Manchester United. Dwight McNeil, who previously scored the only goal against Nottingham Forest, replicated his success by breaking the deadlock against Newcastle with a well-placed shot into the far corner in the 79th minute.
This opened the floodgates for Everton, with Abdoulaye Doucoure and Beto also making their mark in a late scoring spree, securing a satisfying three-goal victory at Goodison Park.
Despite the lingering frustration from their 10-point deduction, Everton has remarkably climbed above the relegation line to the 17th position. However, they are still at risk of being overtaken by Luton Town and Burnley if results don't go in their favor this weekend.
In recent weeks, Everton has been enjoying a winter revival, winning five, drawing one, and losing one of their last seven matches in all competitions. Their recent triumph against Newcastle marked only their second Premier League home win of the season, putting them on the verge of achieving three consecutive league victories for the first time since March 2021 under Carlo Ancelotti.
Notably, during that streak, Everton also kept clean sheets against Liverpool, Southampton, and West Bromwich Albion. In contrast, Chelsea has been struggling defensively despite spending significant amounts on reinforcements.
They have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last eight Premier League games, conceding multiple times in six of them. Additionally, it has been over a year since Chelsea won an away Premier League game on a Sunday, with their last such victory dating back to October 2022 against Aston Villa.
The previous four-game winning streak Everton held against Chelsea at Goodison Park was broken with a 1-0 loss on the opening day of the 2022-23 season. However, they managed to secure a creditable 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge nine months ago, thanks to Ellis Simms's dramatic late equalizer.
INJURIES & SUSPENSION
With James Garner falling ill on the morning of their victory over Newcastle, Dyche made a quick decision to bring Seamus Coleman back into the starting lineup after a seven-month absence as the captain. However, Coleman couldn't finish the game due to a minor injury, which was expected given the circumstances.Even if Coleman wasn't expected to play the full 90 minutes, and with Garner aiming to recover in time for Sunday, Nathan Patterson might be called upon to step in.
Dele Alli is making progress in his recovery from a groin operation but won't be participating just yet. Amadou Onana (calf) and Andre Gomes (fitness) are on Dyche's uncertain list as of now, and Jordan Pickford needs attention for a knee issue.
On the Chelsea side, Pochettino didn't report any new concerns after their midweek loss at Old Trafford. Conor Gallagher is available again after serving his one-game suspension.
There's a possibility that Romeo Lavia (ankle) and Christopher Nkunku (knee) could make their long-awaited debuts, though the latter's chances are slim. Unfortunately, Wesley Fofana (knee), Trevoh Chalobah (thigh), Carney Chukwuemeka (knee), Ben Chilwell (thigh), Malo Gusto (tendon), Noni Madueke (unspecified), and Lesley Ugochukwu (unspecified) are all unavailable.
In the recent match, Marc Cucurella and Reece James returned from suspensions, but Cucurella was substituted for James at half-time and is likely to give up his spot in the starting XI to the club captain at Goodison Park.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Everton possible starting lineup:Pickford; Patterson, Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko; Young, Gueye, Doucoure, McNeil; Harrison; Calvert-Lewin
Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Sanchez; James, Disasi, Silva, Colwill; Caicedo, Fernandez; Sterling, Gallagher, Palmer; Jackson
EXPERT PREDICTION
Everton 2-2 Chelsea
Considering Chelsea's inconsistent attack and a defense that has shown vulnerabilities, it's clear they aren't arriving on Merseyside as the favorites, especially given their recent struggles at Goodison Park.
While there is some hope among Everton fans for a third consecutive victory, it seems likely that the two teams will neutralize each other in this instance, particularly as Chelsea's streak of inconsistency persists.
