The champions are in crisis. Chelsea have made a dreadful start to their title defense, with their surprisingly faulty defense the main culprit. The Blues will have to get their act together in a hurry as they travel to the blue side of Merseyside to face Everton. The Toffees haven’t had the best start either, but they do have the quality in their squad to capitalize on Chelsea’s calamitous form of late.
Can the champs claim a much-needed win at Goodison? Get a full breakdown of this intriguing Saturday showdown below. And for more of the weekend’s best matchups, check out our previews of Crystal Palace vs. Manchester City and the big one, Manchester United vs. Liverpool.
[sc:Soccer ]Everton vs. Chelsea Preview
Where: Goodison Park, Liverpool
When: Saturday, September 12, 10:00 AM ET
Line: Everton +279 vs. Chelsea -121, tie +235; total 2.5 – view all EPL lines
Betting on Everton
It’s been quite an inconsistent start to the season for Everton so far. The Toffees have won just one of their first four games – an impressive 3-0 hammering of Southampton away – with two draws and a home loss to leaders Manchester City.
[sc:Soccer240banner ]The attack led by Ross Barkley and Romelu Lukaku, which was so clinical against Southampton, has been shut out in its last two games against top-tier opposition (City and Tottenham). However, there’s reason to believe that their attack can rediscover its scoring touch against a struggling Chelsea side.
For one, Everton have a host of tricky wingers in Kevin Mirallas, Aaron Lennon and Gerard Deulofeu who possess the pace that has caused Chelsea all sorts of problems this season. With Tom Cleverley out injured, one of those wingers is likely to start for the Toffees.
Lukaku, a former Chelsea player, will be a disruptive physical presence against Chelsea’s central defense, which has been far from convincing. Manager Roberto Martinez will also have Stephen Naismith as an ace up his sleeve. The diminutive Scot has scored three times in Everton’s last five games against Chelsea, including the decisive goal in a 1-0 home win back in 2013.
Goalkeeper Tim Howard was in inspired form against Tottenham, making a host of top-class saves to earn Everton an away draw. Howard will need to be in top form again for the Toffees to earn any points against Chelsea, and the American has generally raised his game for such fixtures. Howard has kept four clean sheets in eight career home games in the league against Chelsea.
Betting on Chelsea
The Blues’ defense is in code red. The nearly-impenetrable unit which guided Chelsea to the title last season has so far been unable to keep opponents at bay. Chelsea have given up at least two goals in their first four matches this season, and their nine goals conceded is the second-worst defensive record in the league behind only last-place Sunderland.
As a result, Chelsea find themselves way down in 13th position, with one win, a draw and two defeats.
The team’s ever-dependable stalwarts, right-back Branislav Ivanovic and captain John Terry, have been consistently exposed in defense, which was why Chelsea were strongly linked to highly-rated Everton defender John Stones. Terry will be eligible for selection again after his one-match ban due to a red card against West Brom, but he’s no guarantee to start.
Chelsea were also dealt a huge blow with the loss of first-choice goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois due to a knee injury. Asimir Begovic is a very competent deputy, though. He made some fine stops in his one start of the season against Manchester City.
Begovic should also have a somewhat improved defense in front of him. Thanks to the international break, manager Jose Mourinho has had a week off to fix the team’s leaky backline, which should pay off against Everton. This might mean a more conservative approach from Chelsea, a trademark Mourinho tactic away from home.
The Chelsea attack has hardly hit full stride yet, but it’s just a matter of time before the likes of Eden Hazard (the reigning Premier League Player of the Year), Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas find their world-class form again. Remember, this was an attack that smashed six goals at Everton around the same time last season.
Writer’s Prediction
Chelsea can’t quite end their slide as Everton hold the champs to a 1-1 draw. Create a betting account now and cash in on all the top Premier League action.
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