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Barclays Premier League Preview: Everton vs Chelsea

Written by: admin on 10th February 2010

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Everton, who tasted defeat in the 213th Merseyside Derby last weekend in an ill-tempered match against Liverpool at Anfield, await the visit of Barclays Premier League leaders Chelsea to Goodison Park this Wednesday night. Chelsea meanwhile had a derby of their own, overcoming Arsenal 2 – 0 at Stamford Bridge to reclaim top spot from Manchester United. The last time these two sides met in the Premier League was in December last year, when Everton pushed Chelsea all the way in a highly entertaining 3 – 3 draw at the Bridge. A similar result at Goodison Park would definitely please the home crowd, but Chelsea can ill afford any more slip ups, especially with the Red Devils in hot pursuit.

Everton’s manager David Moyes was watching from the stands as Chelsea gunned down Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. And he must have got a pretty clear idea of what’s in store for his Everton side when they take on the Blues at Goodison Park. Everton are in decent form in the League with 4 wins, including that spectacular display against Manchester City and a draw against Arsenal, prior to Saturday’s derby defeat to Liverpool. The game against Liverpool was a scrappy affair with Everton having a lot of the ball, but with practically no cutting edge to their game. They will be disappointed to come away from Anfield empty handed, especially with Liverpool playing with 10 men for most of the match. Despite the defeat Moyes chose to look at the bigger picture. “There’s very little difference between us and Liverpool in terms of what’s being shown on the field just now,” Moyes was quoted as saying by the club’s official website.

The key to Everton getting anything from this game lies with the fitness of Marouane Fellaini. The young midfielder was taken to the hospital for a scan after injuring his ankle in a tussle with Liverpool defender Sotirios Kyrgiakos. Fellaini appears to be losing his battle to be ready to Wednesday, and his absence could make the Everton back four very vulnerable. South African international Steven Pienaar was sent off against Liverpool will have to sit out of this game. The Belgian midfielder, Fellaini and Pienaar have really been the star performers for Everton this season in what has been an injury-ridden campaign. The loss of both the players should be too hard for Everton to take and a draw seems to be all that the Toffees might be hoping for.

Mikel Arteta, who substituted Fellaini on Saturday, might have to start for the first time this season since his return from injury, but the Spanish playmaker looked short of match sharpness in his 60 minute substitute appearance. Everton will also need to slot in a defensive midfielder to fill in Fellaini’s shoes, with Phil Neville likely to move into the role with Tony Hibbert coming in at right-back. Everton could also draft Philippe Senderos into central defence and move Johnny Heitinga into midfield, but given Senderos’ past problems in dealing with Didier Drogba, that seems unlikely to happen.

Chelsea have made it a habit to bounce back from blemishes in grand style this season. After being stretched to a draw by Hull City, Chelsea were under pressure as they prepared for the visit of the Gunners last weekend. But a brace from Didier Drogba in the first half was enough for them to see off their London rivals. Though, Arsenal dominated play in terms of possession, The Blues never looked troubled as they defended everything that their opponents threw at them. John Terry, who was recently stripped of the England captaincy, was praised by both mangers for his stellar performance on Sunday. “John is the perfect captain for Chelsea,” said Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti. While his counterpart, Arsene Wenger praised Terry for his mental strength as he said, “I believe John Terry wants to win when he plays football.”

Chelsea have grown from strength to strength in recent time and they look very determined to win the Premier League this season. The form of Drogba and Nicolas Anelka, who has been overshadowed by his strike partner in the last couple of matches, has been exceptional. With John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho at the heart of defence, it will be very hard for Everton to penetrate Chelsea. But their weakness to dead ball situations has been exploited by many teams this season and with the likes of Saha and Cahill, Everton can make Chelsea pay.

The left backs of both Chelsea (Ashley Cole) and Everton (Leighton Baines) are known for their attacking instincts and that should keep the right backs of either side occupied throughout the match. Branislav Ivanovic had a terrible match against Arsenal as he failed to contain the lively Samir Nasri and the likes of Donovan and Osman should provide him a great deal of trouble down the left flank.

Players to Watch:

Everton
Tim Cahill: The Australian midfielder, who possesses great aerial ability, should look to expose Chelsea’s weakness to set pieces.
Louis Saha: The former Manchester United striker is the Toffees leading scorer this season with 13 goals from just 21 starts.

Chelsea
Didier Drogba: Drogba has already scored three goals in the two matches since his return from the African Cup of Nations and the race for the top scorers’ spot seems to be between him and Wayne Rooney. The Ivorian hit man will surely give the Everton defenders the blues with his strength and pace.
John Obi Mikel: The Nigerian will be key to Chelsea in the middle of the park as he will have to keep the likes of Cahill and Arteta in check.

Form Guide:

Everton (LWWLW)
Feb 06, Liverpool (A) 1 – 0 (BPL)
Jan 30, Wigan Athletic (A) 0 – 1 (BPL)
Jan 27, Sunderland (H) 2 – 0 (BPL)
Jan 23, Birmingham City (H) 1 – 2 (FA CUP)
Jan 16, Manchester City (H) 2 – 0 (BPL)

Chelsea (DWWWW)
Feb 07, Arsenal (H) 2 – 0 (BPL)
Feb 02, Hull City (A) 1 – 1 (BPL)
Jan 30, Burnley (A) 1-2 (BPL)
Jan 27, Birmingham City (H) 3 – 0 (BPL)
Jan 23, Preston (A) 0 – 2 (FA CUP)

Probable Starting Line-ups:

Everton: Howard, Hibbert, Distin, Heitinga, Baines, Neville, Donovan, Arteta, Osman, Cahill, Saha
Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Terry, Carvalho, A Cole, Mikel, Ballack, Lampard, Malouda, Anelka, Drogba

Prediction:

Everton last defeated Chelsea at Goodison Park way back in the 2000-2001 season. Since then, the Londoners have won on five occasions and the remaining three ties ending in draws. Last season, neither team managed to score and the goalless draw also witnessed the sending off of John Terry. Chelsea go into the match as clear favourites but the grit and determination of David Moyes’ side can never be underestimated, especially at home.

Scoreline: Everton 1 – 2 Chelsea

File Photograph Copyright: Ryu Voelkel

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