Key events
Xabi Alonso speaks to TNT Sports. “We needed a win [against Bournemouth] but this was last week … one is not enough … we need to keep going, doing the right things, repeating and always improving game by game … [Reece James’ injury] makes it more limited but we have enough options … Romeo [Lavia] … [Valentin] Barco … they have played and now we have Mo [Caciedo] back and [Jordan Henderson] so we have more options … but for sure it’s a blow … we will need another big one in this stadium against Everton … tough opponent … they are in a good run so we are expecting a tough challenge.”
Everton are currently in a good humour as well. Should they win this afternoon – and given how they’ve triumphed in this fixture in six of its last nine stagings, losing just the once, that’s very much a live prospect – they’ll move into fourth spot in the Premier League, for a couple of hours at least. Chelsea can do likewise.
Fun: Chelsea have it. But for how long?
Everton make two changes in the wake of their 2-2 draw at Hull City. Merlin Röhl and Vitalii Mykolenko replace Micheal Keane and Brennan Johnson, the latter dropping to the bench.
Chelsea meanwhile make one change to the starting XI sent out to thrash Bournemouth 5-1 last weekend. Jorrel Hato comes into the defence at the expense of Pep Chavarría.
ShareThe teams
Everton: Pickford, Maitland-Niles, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko, Garner, Armstrong, Rohl, Dewsbury-Hall, Grealish, Barry.
Subs: Travers, O’Brien, George, Dibling, Johnson, Norgaard, Alcaraz, Hackney, Graham.
Chelsea: Martinez, Acheampong, Lacroix, Colwill, Pedro Neto, Henderson, Caicedo, Hato, Palmer, Rogers, Joao Pedro.
Subs: Penders, Palestra, Fofana, Barco, Welbeck, Quenda, Nicoll-Jazuli, Estevao, Lavia.
Referee: Paul Tierney
VAR: Nicholas Hopton
Updated at 06.29 EDT
Preamble
Fifth plays sixth at the Hill Dickinson this lunchtime, in a fixture that isn’t so easy to predict. Chelsea have quickly established an identity under Xabi Alonso as the great entertainers: they’ve scored 15 goals in six matches, with 13 whistling in down the other end. Their last two results – a 3-0 loss at Brentford followed by a 5-1 rout of Bournemouth – illustrate what they’re all about right now. Everton are similarly difficult to pin down, veering between doughty low-scoring shut-out wins (2-0 Palace, 1-0 Ipswich) and rollercoaster 2-2 draws (Manchester United and Hull City, Ainsley Maitland-Niles the centre of attention in both games, for wildly different reasons). The Toffees also remain undefeated, no small feat when you consider the downcast mood around the club at the end of an unsuccessful transfer window.
Throw in the fact that Chelsea don’t particularly like coming to visit the blue half of Merseyside – they’ve lost 2-0 and 3-0 on two of their most recent three visits, the other being a goalless draw – and so while they go into this match as favourites, you wouldn’t exactly risk the farm on it. This could be great fun. Kick-off is at 12.30pm BST. It’s on!