The defending champions Chelsea came out with an excellent response to their disastrous 3-2 home defeat to Burnley as they defeated Tottenham 2-1 at Wembley last weekend. Wing-back Marcos Alonso was the hero as he scored both goals for the Blues.
Manager Antonio Conte once again showed what a savvy tactician he is as he out-maneuvered another top manager in Mauricio Pochettino. Even with missing pieces in defender Gary Cahill and midfielder Cesc Fabregas, he still found a way to make the most of what he had at his disposal.
Conte will still be missing Cahill due to suspension, although Fabregas will be available once again for selection to provide more creativity in midfield, which will be needed against a tough Everton defense.
Conte certainly knew how to attack Everton in both of their meetings last season. Chelsea blew the Toffees away both times as they won by an aggregate of 8-0, which included a 5-0 win at Stamford Bridge.
Conte has only continued Chelsea’s unbelievable home-field advantage against Everton through the years. The Blues have an incredible 23-match unbeaten run at home against the Merseysiders.
Everton picked up a 1-1 draw away to Manchester City last week, which was a decent result on paper. But considering Everton were a goal up and City were down to 10 men for over half the game, it seemed like an opportunity lost.
Manager Ronald Koeman was a bit too negative with his tactics and opted to preserve the lead he had instead of trying to kill the game off, which eventually backfired as City equalized.
On the bright side, though, Everton’s much-improved defense performed admirably and was able to keep City’s top-class attack quiet for most of the game.
Meanwhile, veteran striker Wayne Rooney made it two goals out of two games in the Premier League as he scored Everton’s opener. The Toffees will need their top striker at his best once again in order to finally penetrate Chelsea’s very tough defense after they were shut out in both games last season.
Rooney will be especially important since Everton will be well short of other options in attack and midfield. Ross Barkley, Davy Klaassen, and Sandro Ramirez are all out injured, while Morgan Schneiderlin is suspended. Idrissa Gueye is also a doubt due to a slight knock.
Writer’s Prediction
Chelsea (-270) continue their dominance over Everton at Stamford Bridge as they pick up the 2-1 home win.
