Everton vs Chelsea Prediction: Tough test for Maresca’s men

Chelsea could temporarily move top of the Premier League table with a victory at Goodison Park against Everton on Sunday afternoon (14:00), as five successive league wins for the Blues has seen Liverpool's gap at the summit cut down to two points.

Everton recorded a respectable draw away at Arsenal last week on the back of a 4-0 win over Wolves on December 4, and will be confident of causing an upset. Read on for my Everton vs Chelsea prediction, as well as the latest team news and match odds.

Football Odds

Team News

James Garner has been on the sidelines for almost three months for the Toffees due to a back injury, and no timeframe has been given on a potential return.

Tim Iroegbunam is facing a spell in the treatment room similar to Garner, while Armando Broja cannot feature against his parent club.

Marc Cucurella will be suspended for the trip to Merseyside after being sent off against Brentford last week, while Pedro Neto will return to the fold following a ban of his own.

Tosin Adarabioyo could continue at centre-back, with Benoit Badiashille and Wesley Fofana still facing spells on the sidelines. Enzo Maresca will also be without Mykhailo Mudryk after the winger was provisionally suspended last Tuesday following a failed drugs test.

Everton vs Chelsea Odds

*Please click on the link above to be taken to the main Everton vs Chelsea page on betfred.com (or app) for all the live betting prices on this match.

The Toffees are 9/2 to claim a crucial victory, giving them an implied win probability of 18.2%, while the draw is available to back at 3/1, with the visitors 4/6 to take all three points back to the capital and temporarily move top of the table.

Cole Palmer tops the anytime goalscorer market at 5/4, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin shortest-priced for the hosts at 5/2.

Chelsea to win to nil @ 15/8

It's not always a pretty watch, but Sean Dyche continues to do a stellar job as Everton manager.

After a difficult start to the season, the Toffees are looking to engineer a route towards Premier League safety again this term, and the blue half of Merseyside will be buoyed by the point they picked up at the Emirates last week.

Everton's most recent home outing was the 4-0 win over Wolves, so Dyche will believe his side can put in a similar shift on Sunday in front of the Goodison faithful.

Similarly, Maresca has been steering the Chelsea ship steadily to the point where they're now considered title challengers. The goals have been flying in, and having the opportunity to momentarily go top with a win here, is one the Blues will know that they have to seize.

This should be a good watch between two sides that have contrasting styles of play. Everton will look to make this game physical, and their performances of late have been built on solid defensive showings.

The Toffees will be hard to break down, but I think Chelsea can find a way through eventually, and secure all three points.

Under 2.5 goals @ 6/5

As mentioned above, Chelsea have had no issues in finding the back of the net, scoring two or more goals in each of their last seven in all competitions.

For the hosts, though, it’s been a different story. Three of their last five matches have ended goalless, and not by accident. In addition, the Toffees have either failed to score or keep a clean sheet in all but one of their last nine games. More than three goals were scored in just two of those nine, so under 2.5 goals looks a sensible choice here.

Looking at the advanced metrics, an average of just 2.38 xG has been created at Goodison Park this season, which is the lowest in the division. Therefore, I'm more inclined to believe that a low-scoring game will play out on Sunday, rather than a goal fest.

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