Chelsea will look to strengthen their position in the race for the Premier League's top five when they welcome Everton to Stamford Bridge in Saturday's early kickoff.
Under-fire manager Enzo Maresca was bailed out by two late goals away to Fulham last week, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, but that has done little to ease the pressure on the Chelsea boss, who will be suspended from the touchline this weekend.
Match preview
After taking some flack from the Chelsea fans during their West London derby with Fulham, Maresca had Tyrique George and Pedro Neto to thank for keeping their Champions League hopes alive last weekend, as both netted late on to beat the Cottagers 2-1.
That extended Chelsea's unbeaten league run to four games, needing to come back from losing positions at half time in both of their last two games to salvage four points.
Maresca will have been happy to see his friend Pep Guardiola do Chelsea a favour on Tuesday night as well, as his Manchester City side beat Aston Villa at the Etihad, meaning the Blues remain in sixth, just two points off the top five.
They will need all the help they can get, though, as Chelsea have arguably the toughest run remaining of any club chasing the Champions League, with Everton, Liverpool, Newcastle United, Manchester United and Nottingham Forest all still to come.
One eye could also be on their Conference League semi-final with Djurgarden on Thursday, as Chelsea seek to end their four-year wait for silverware, but with that competition only granting them a Europa League place next season, the Premier League will still be at the top of their priorities.
Thankfully for the home support, they next face a club with an utterly dismal record at the Bridge, as Chelsea are unbeaten in their previous 29 home league encounters with Everton, dating back to 1994 - the longest unbeaten home run against a single opponent in the club's history.
Chelsea extended that impressive streak with a 6-0 thrashing of Everton in this fixture last season, inflicting the Toffees' heaviest defeat for 20 years.
In one of Sean Dyche's final few games in the Everton dugout, though, they held Chelsea to a 0-0 draw just before Christmas, preventing Maresca's men from briefly going top of the Premier League, which now seems a very long time ago.
David Moyes is now at the helm, and has overseen a remarkable transformation that quickly eradicated fears of relegation in Everton's final season at Goodison Park.
A nine-game unbeaten run has now been followed up by a run of four games which have yielded just four points, but facing three of the league's top four in that time was a daunting challenge regardless of the team's form.
Man City were the most recent team to bid Goodison farewell last weekend, and they did so by beating Everton 2-0 thanks to late goals from Nico O'Reilly and Mateo Kovacic, meaning the Toffees lost their final nine games against the Citizens at their soon-to-be-demolished home.
A late win at Nottingham Forest two weeks ago remains Everton's only victory in eight games, but their only defeats in that time have come against City and Liverpool, so it is no surprise that they have drawn more games (14) than any other club in the Premier League.
Only the bottom three have won fewer games than Everton's tally of eight, but since Moyes took over, they have collected 21 points, which is seven more than the whole bottom three combined across the same period (14).
Defeats last weekend for Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur mean Everton remain 13th heading into the weekend, and leading the cluster of clubs who are just above the drop zone, but comfortably clear of the bottom three.
Team News
Chelsea are fearful that right-back Malo Gusto could miss the rest of the season after being forced off last weekend at Fulham with a muscular problem, potentially joining Wesley Fofana on the sidelines.
Maresca is expected to go with his strongest team here despite having a semi-final on the horizon in midweek, but young winger George, who has featured prominently in the Conference League, could get a league start after the impact he made at Craven Cottage.
Cole Palmer has now gone 16 games without a goal, but he netted four in this fixture last season, becoming the first player to manage that against Everton in the 21st century, and he should still be one of the first names on the team sheet.
Everton are set to be without important defender James Tarkowski for the rest of the season after he was forced off early in the second half against Man City last weekend with a hamstring injury.
Michael Keane was brought on to replace him but had a disastrous second half, leading to widespread criticism and calls for a shakeup at the back which could see Jake O'Brien move into the centre with one of Nathan Patterson, Ashley Young or Seamus Coleman coming in at right-back.
Armando Broja struggled to have much of an impact against City last week, and will be unavailable for this encounter anyway, as he is ineligible to face his parent club, meaning Beto should lead the line with Dominic Calvert-Lewin still sidelined.
Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Sanchez; James, Chalobah, Colwill, Cucurella; Enzo, Caicedo; George, Palmer, Neto; Jackson
Everton possible starting lineup:
Pickford; Patterson, O'Brien, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Harrison, Gueye, Garner, Doucoure, Ndiaye; Beto
Match odds from our partners Ladbrokes
Correct at time of writing, check before placing any bet
Welcome offer: Up to £20 in free bets
Get up to £20 in free bets at Ladbrokes
18+ New UK+IRE Customers only. Certain deposit methods & bet types excl. Min first £5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 to get 4x £5 free bets. Free bets available to use on selected sportsbook markets only. Free bets valid for 7 days, stake not returned. Restrictions + T&Cs apply.
We say: Chelsea 1-0 Everton
No matter what state Chelsea are in, one thing always seems certain, and it is that Everton will not win at the Bridge, and this could be the 30th successive game without defeat for the hosts against the Toffees if they claim a result.
Everton's season is fizzling out slightly, while Chelsea still have it all to play for, so they will be the favourites, but they can expect a scrappy affair, as 12 of the visitors' 16 away games in the Premier League this season have produced two goals or fewer.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
body check tags ::
Previews by email
