Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea have hit the ground running in this new season after securing comfortable wins in their first two games. But the new-look Blues will get their first true test of the season when they travel to Goodison Park to face Everton, who have failed to translate leads into wins in its first couple games.
Chelsea, the favorites to win the league in our EPL season preview, and Everton have combined to score nine goals in four matches so far. In a match that features two of the ten most expensive transfers this summer in strikers Diego Costa and Romelu Lukaku, does this game have a potential to be a thrilling shootout? Read on for more on this battle of the Blues.
[sc:Soccer ]Everton vs. Chelsea Prediction and Betting Preview
When: Saturday, August 30, 2014, 12:30 PM EST
Where: Goodison Park, Liverpool, England
Line: Chelsea at Everton – view all EPL lines here
What’s at Stake
[sc:Soccer240banner ]Chelsea looks to make it three wins out of three, while Everton is still in search of its first win of the season. It will also be a special game for Everton’s Romelu Lukaku, who will face his former club Chelsea for the first time since his big transfer in the summer.
Betting on Everton
Everton’s sophomore season under manager Roberto Martinez hasn’t started as brightly as some may have hoped. After guiding the Merseysiders to a fifth-place finish last season, Martinez’s men have picked up consecutive 2-2 draws in their first two assignments, away at newly-promoted Leicester and at home to Arsenal.
While two draws aren’t exactly the worst results in the world, they could so easily have been two wins considering Everton actually held the lead in both games. They surrendered the lead twice against Leicester, who equalized a second time with just four minutes remaining. And against Arsenal, they were two goals up before squandering two more late goals in the last seven minutes. Obviously, Martinez must address this major issue ahead of their game against Chelsea.
Everton went 13-3-3 at home last season, and 2-1-1 against the top four finishers. One of those two home wins was a 1-0 triumph against Chelsea, who also scored a 1-0 win against Everton on its home ground. Chelsea needed a very late winner six minutes into injury time to get the victory.
It should also be noted that in both games against Chelsea, Romelu Lukaku – Everton’s top scorer last season with 15 goals – wasn’t permitted to play, as he was still on loan from Chelsea. But Lukaku is a full-fledged Everton player now, and will be available to lead the Toffees’ attack. He’ll also be fully motivated to go up against Mourinho, who deemed him not good enough to play for Chelsea.
Betting on Chelsea
It’s been so far so good for Chelsea, the team many predicted to be the team to beat this season. The Blues are just one of three teams that have claimed maximum points after two games. Though they were against two newly-promoted clubs – Burnley and Leicester – they looked impressive nonetheless, winning both games by a two-goal margin.
Their new signings, most notably midfielder Cesc Fabregas and striker Diego Costa, have been big hits at Stamford Bridge right off the bat. Costa has adapted to the Premier League immediately and has already scored two goals in two games, while Fabregas has fit in seamlessly in a terrific midfield trio alongside Nemanja Matic and Oscar.
Don’t let the five goals in two games fool you; this is still an old-school Jose Mourinho team that prides itself on defense solidity first and foremost, especially on the road. Chelsea conceded just 16 goals away from home last season, six goals better than the next best club.
Mourinho often prefers a counterattacking setup away from home, and with Costa they now have a more clinical striker who can convert those chances into goals. Wingers Andre Schurrle and Eden Hazard have also gotten on the score sheet early in the season, and will be big threats to hit Everton hard on the counter.
Everton will be a considerable step up in competition for Chelsea, but the Londoners have defeated the Merseyside Blues in three of their last four meetings.
Writer’s Prediction
Chelsea maintains its 100% record, but it won’t come as easily as its first two wins. Everton puts up a valiant fight, but Chelsea grinds out a tough 1-0 win. Create a betting account and follow Chelsea’s campaign toward another possible Premier League championship.
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