Split image - Morgan Rogers of Chelsea controls the ball and former Swedish football player and TV pundit Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Split image - Morgan Rogers of Chelsea controls the ball and former Swedish football player and TV pundit Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Photo by Steffan Bowen/Visionhaus/Getty Images
Photo by Steffan Bowen/Visionhaus/Getty Images
Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images
Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images
Photo by Maynard Manyowa/News Images/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Photo by Maynard Manyowa/News Images/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Photo by Darren Staples / AFP via Getty Images
Photo by Darren Staples / AFP via Getty Images
Chelsea’s Joao Pedro is the most in-form forward in the Premier League right now.
He scored two goals against Bournemouth at the weekend to take his tally to five this season. Only Manchester City’s Erling Haaland has scored more times than the Brazilian.
While Haaland may be the Premier League’s top scorer, Pedro is statistically the highest-rated player in the division. He has three more assists than Haaland, who is yet to set up a teammate.
A graphic showing Jordan Henderson's match statistics (goals, assists, key passes and pass completion rate) against for Chelsea FC against Bournemouth. Image shows Jordan Henderson celebrating.
A graphic showing Jordan Henderson's match statistics (goals, assists, key passes and pass completion rate) against for Chelsea FC against Bournemouth. Image shows Jordan Henderson celebrating.
Everton will undoubtedly have to be wary of Pedro’s threat when Chelsea make the trip to the Hill Dickinson Stadium this Saturday. However, the Toffees are one of few teams who actually know how to stop Pedro.
Joao Pedro has never scored against Everton
Surprisingly, Pedro has faced Everton seven times in his career but has never scored against them! He has at least been on the winning side on a few occasions.
Pedro has beaten Everton three times, including last season when Chelsea defeated the Merseyside club 2-0 at Stamford Bridge. However, the 24-year-old and his teammates lost the reverse fixture 3-0.
Joao Pedro’s record vs Everton Total
Games 7
Wins 3
Losses 2
Draws 2
Goals 0
Assists 1
This time around, Chelsea should definitely have enough firepower to score at the Hill Dickinson. Even if Pedro cannot find the back of the net, Xabi Alonso will still have Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers.
Rogers is also one of the most in-form attackers in the Premier League at the moment. Like Pedro, Rogers is scoring goals but also evading tackles consistently.
The England international is not an easy opponent. He can drive with the ball, protect it and test goalkeepers from inside and outside the box.
Usually, Chelsea fans would not be feeling optimistic about travelling to Everton. But an attack of Pedro, Rogers and Palmer can instil confidence.
Defence is another matter, although Chelsea did show a lot of improvement in that department against Bournemouth. Following Moises Caicedo’s return to the starting XI, they looked much more solid.