Chelsea faces a daunting task when they travel to Goodison to face Everton to begin their venture in the 2022/23 Premier League season. The Blues have not won this away clash in the last five meetings.
Thomas Tuchel’s men finished third on the table in a turmoil season last time out while the Toffees picked up a late season winning form to beat the drop.
EVE vs CHL Match Details
Date: Saturday, 6th August 2022
Time: 17:30 (BST)/ 22:00 (IST)
Venue: Goodison Park, Liverpool
EVE vs CHL Match Preview
Disjointed from their status, Everton had to endure a difficult 2021/22 campaign fighting to avoid relegation for the large part to maintain their record of being one of the top-tier clubs not tasting the drop. It was down to manager Frank Lampard to stop the team from falling down further by gathering the necessary momentum towards the end of the season to stay in the league. When he took over from Rafa Bentinez, everything was a mess. He then stirred the club to safety finishing four points clear off the relegation zone with eleven wins in the bag in total. One of those victories came against his former club, Chelsea. A legend of the club and having managed them before this job, Lampard oversaw his current team maintaining a perfect record over the Blues at Goodison in recent seasons. Before facing the elite at the same venue, the boss has to make some key decisions to adjust to the striker deficiency for the game and use most of his recent signings in the transfer window. Everton cannot flirt with another relegation battle and Lampard knows that very well. The record in this fixture should be convincing for Everton to get at least a draw from the opening game in a month that offers tricky opposition but not one of from top six until the Merseyside derby with Liverpool next month. That is obviously a distant talk as the Toffees look to build on a positive start to the 2022/23 season and maintain it longer than before to stay clear of any chaos like last season. The new pair signed from Burnley could help with McNeil boasting the attack, especially after the departure of their key player in Richarlison to Spurs and Tarkowski becoming an important addition to solidify the back four that leaked 66 goals last term. Everton’s preseason has been bumpy with a shock loss to Minnesota United replaced by wins against Blackpool and Dynamo Kyiv.
Chelsea also had a forgetful season last time out with their Champions League-winning energy of last year fading in the darkness of problems on and off the pitch. Their hope to be statement signing of Romelu Lukaku back to the club from Inter failed miserably with the Belgian once again struggling with the rigours of the Premier League and adjusting to Thomas Tuchel’s system. Long-term Injuries to key players also disrupted the campaign but none was bigger than the juggles off the pitch. Chelsea’s decade-old ownership under Roman Abramovic came to an end after sanctions were imposed because of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. The new consortium led by American businessman Todd Boehly took over by the time the club finished third to secure the top spot for the fourth consecutive season. Chelsea starts a full season of this new era with the owners keeping the promise of maintaining the club’s quest for trophies by unfolding strong signings in the window. Proven stars like Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly and Marc Cucurella have arrived while emphasis has been put on youth too like the arrival of Carney Chukwuemeka from Aston Villa or Omari Hutchinson from Arsenal to cope with departure of Andreas Christensen but firstly Antonio Rudiger. Boss Thomas Tuchel has prioritised the top four again and wants to aim higher should the team coordinate well with his tactics but with no pressure whatsoever. The summer window has been a hit and miss for the Blues demanding their targets. For now, they have to concentrate on a strong start no bigger than registering three points in a venue that has eluded them. Chelsea have lost their last three games at Goodison without a win since 2017. If the club want to overturn their disappointment of last season they should start this one with a winning note to set the tone.
Pre-season Form
EVE: WWLL
CHL: WLDW
EVE vs CHL Team News
Star striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin is facing a fresh injury crisis with a knee injury picked up in training which will keep him out for six weeks, confirmed by boss Frank Lampard. With Salomon Rondon also suspended due to the red card he received at the end of last season it gives Everton no choice but to field Demarai Gray as a number nine supported by Anthony Gordon and new signing Dwight McNeil. Defender Yerry Mina is fit to start in the middle of the defence alongside James Tarkowski, signed on a free from Burnley. Michael Keane drops out as a result. Despite fitness issues, Allan could start in midfield with little option to cover in the area due to a host of injury absentees. Club captain Seamus Coleman, Tom Davies, Andre Gomes and Andros Townsend all miss out on the season opener.
Thomas Tuchel has no injury concerns to think about for their trip to Goodison and could hand official debuts to a few of the summer signings. The Spaniard Marc Cucurella only completed his transfer from Brighton on Friday so he is not in line to feature for this game. Instead, Koulibaly in defence and Raheem Sterling in attack will be in the show for Chelsea fans. The Senegalese will slot in the back three alongside Thiago Silva and Cesar Azpilicueta, the club captain who committed his future to two more years at the club in spite of interest from Barcelona. Coming back from a season-ending injury last term, Ben Chilwell has fully recovered to start at left wingback in place of Marcos Alonso who is also a target for the Catalan giants.
EVE vs CHL Predicted Lineups
EVE: Jordan Pickford; Ben Godfrey, Yerry Mina, James Tarkowski; Nathan Patterson, Abdoulaye Doucoure, Allan, Mykolenko; Anthony Gordon, Demarai Gray, Dwight McNeil
CHL: Edouard Mendy; Cesar Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva, Kalidou Koulibaly; Reece James, N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, Ben Chilwell; Mason Mount, Kai Havertz, Raheem Sterling
EVE vs CHL Head to head
Everton’s record in this meeting at Goodison not only restricted Chelsea from winning but from scoring in three of the last four meetings in the last four years. Back in May, Richarlison netted the only goal of the game in the 47th minute and the home side defended their fort for the entirety of the game courtesy of goalkeeper Jordan Pickford making unreal saves to frustrate the Blues. The same score line ranged two years back in December when incidentally Frank Lampard was in the losing dugout. The last success for Chelsea here was in 2017 in the title-winning season when Pedro, Gary Cahill and Willian scored in a 3-0 win.
EVE vs CHL Dream11 Team Prediction
GK: E. Mendy (9)
DEF: James (9.5), Koulibaly (8.5), Tarkowski (8.5), Mykolenko (9)
MID: Gray (9), Kovacic (8.5), Mount (9), McNeil (9)
FW: Sterling (9), Havertz (9)
Captain: Raheem Sterling
Vice-captain: Mason Mount
