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Chelsea will face a tough test in an away match against Everton, a side who are slowly pushing away from the relegation zone and have lost just one of their last five games. Sen Dyche’s defense has taken the lead, allowing just four goals in that period while keeping four clean sheets, but with Chelsea’s attack on the way, things are about to get interesting.
The Blues have exploded under Enzo Maresca, boasting the highest scoring attack in the Premier League with 37 goals to their name. But even the defense has become about mediocre, leaving the Blues in the thick of things as the festive period approaches.
Here are our storylines, how to watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Sunday December 22 | Time: 9am ET
- Location: Goodison Park – Liverpool, England
- TV: USA | Live stream: Fubo TV (Try for free)
- Chances: Everton +425; Sign +300; Chelsea-165
Storylines
Everton: It’s another game where the Toffees will have to lean on their defensive strength, but they have the advantage of being at home and used to absorbing pressure. When you’re at the bottom of the table, being able to suffer defensively is crucial and few teams are better at getting results that way than Everton.
Everton predicted XI: Jordan Pickford, Ashley Young, James Tarkowski, Jarrad Branthwaite, Vitalii Mykolenko, Iliman Ndiaye, Orel Mangala, Idrissa Gueye, Jack Harrison, Abdoulaye Doucoure, Dominic Calvert-Lewin
Chelsea: The early game gives the Blues the chance to top the league, with all the pressure on Liverpool, who take to the field later in the day in a tough away match. Marc Cucurella will miss the match due to suspension, while Reece James is still absent with an injury, leaving Maresca without its best full-backs, but depth has been a major strength as whoever Chelsea brings in has been able to perform. It is an advantage of playing in the Europa Conference League, where Maresca can view players deeper in the pecking order, something most managers can only do during training or cup matches.
Chelsea predicted XI: Robert Sanchez, Malo Gusto, Levi Colwill, Tosin Adarabioyo, Axel Disasi, Enzo Fernandez, Jedon Sancho, Cole Palmer, Pedro Neto, Nicolas Jackson
Prediction
No matter how well a defense performs, you can’t stop Chelsea from scoring and Everton are about to find out the hard way. Everything is possible through Cole Palmer. Choose: Everton0, Chelsea2