Chelsea will play Everton in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge on Thursday. Kick off is at 7.45 pm UK time.
The Covid-19 outbreaks have affected a number of Premier League clubs this week, but both sides are unaffected at the moment.
Chelsea have endured a sticky patch of late, especially with injuries in the midfield, and a loss of form has derailed their progress to a certain extent. They needed a contentious last-minute penalty to beat Leeds United on Saturday.
They are just two points off the lead, but they know they need to keep winning to keep the pressure on Manchester City and Liverpool above them.
Goals remain an issue for Thomas Tuchel’s side. Injuries have plagued Romelu Lukaku for two months now, while Timo Werner continues to frustrate. And while midfield and defence have both contributed more than their fair share, they need their attackers to start weighing in now as well.
Fortunately, they are playing an Everton side that are likely to offer them plenty of chances on the night.
A win against Arsenal a week ago provided some rare cause for celebration in what has been a difficult season, but things returned to the norm on Sunday when they were beaten by Crystal Palace.
Manager Rafa Benitez is not under pressure – it was Sporting Director Marcel Brand who paid for the team’s below-par performance with his job – but he knows that his squad is nowhere near good enough to compete for Europe at the moment. And, without Dominic Calvert-Lewin to lead, their attack they look toothless and often short of ideas.
It is hard not to see them being active in the January transfer window, although how much money they will have to spend is unknown and fans may have to temper their expectations.
Prediction
Chelsea have not been in the best of form of late. However, for a fixture to boost their confidence ahead of the Christmas and New Year fixtures, a match against Everton seems tailor-made. The Merseyside team are short of quality and confidence and, especially away from home, look fragile and ready to offer up chances to the opposition.
It is difficult to see beyond a home win in this match.