The busy festive period is upon us and Everton return to action with a tough game away at Chelsea this weekend.
Everton are looking to secure their fifth win in six against Enzo Maresca’s side, although this game will be a big step up from previous games.
Chelsea are a proper Champions League-level outfit and are currently sitting in fifth place, a point above the Toffees.
Everton last won a league game at Stamford Bridge in 1994… Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall wasn’t even born yet. 😳 How is this still a thing?
An overview of Everton's Premier League record against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Credit: Getty Images/Robin Jones – AFC Bournemouth.
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Peter Crouch has predicted Everton to lose against Chelsea, and the supercomputer is also expecting a Toffees defeat.
But, David Moyes and his players have every reason to be confident after their brilliant run of form, and with all that said, here is the starting line-up they could field at Stamford Bridge.
Everton midfielder Idrissa Gana Gueye.
Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
Everton’s potential starting XI vs Chelsea as Idrissa Gana Gueye left on the bench
Moyes has a big decision to make regarding Idrissa Gana Gueye, as he is back available for selection following his three-match suspension.
This is actually Gueye’s final game for the Toffees before he departs for the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal.
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There has been a lot of debate about whether he comes straight back into the starting line-up, but we reckon Moyes may keep the same midfield that performed so well against Nottingham Forest.
In fact, the only change is Tyler Dibling for Carlos Alcaraz, which may be a pretty big surprise to many supporters.
Everton fans weren’t particularly inspired by Alcaraz’s performance against Bournemouth the other week, and he was relatively quiet against Forest.
So, perhaps Dibling will come in to replace the Argentine in the number 10 role, as he will need to get up to speed in preparation for Iliman Ndiaye’s departure to AFCON.
What would be your starting XI vs Chelsea? 🤔
Everton vs Chelsea predicted XI.
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Everton are up against an out-of-form Chelsea side
Everton will, of course, be the underdogs this weekend, but Chelsea are by no means in a good patch at the moment.
In fact, they’ve failed to win in any of their last four games and have just suffered a 2-1 defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League.
How can Everton side HURT this fragile Chelsea side? 👊
An overview of Chelsea's recent record across all competitions.
Credit: Getty Images/Emanuele Comincini/NurPhoto.
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Their last win came against Barcelona, so that sort of shows the kind of side they are – very inconsistent but capable of producing a top performance.
For that reason, Everton will have to be on their A-game to come back from the capital with the three points.
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