Everton vs Chelsea 18/03/19

18 March 2019

After securing their place in the Europa League quarter-finals, Chelsea return to the Premier League action as they travel to Goodison Park to take on Everton.

The hosts are not going through the best of times having lost four of their last six Premier League clashes (W1, D1, L4) as they currently sit 11th with small chances of reaching the Europa League promotion. The Toffees have failed to clinch a victory in three successive PL home outings (D1, L2), scoring just one goal while conceding five in the process. A much bigger problem for Marco Silva is the fact his players have wrapped up all three points just once in their last eight PL home clashes (W1, D3, L4), bagging one goal or less five times in that period. Another reason for frustration among the home fans is the fact Everton secured just two points in eight meetings with the top-six sides this term (D2, L6), failing to find the back of the net five times.

On the other hand, the visitors have racked up a five-game unbeaten run across all competitions in the build-up to the encounter (W4, D1) as they continue their pursuit of the Champions League promotion. Although they sit sixth in the table with a three-point deficit to fourth-placed Arsenal, the Blues still have a game in hand. A victory here could be vital for Maurizio Sarri’s men, but three defeats in their last four PL road meetings give Sarri a sizeable headache ahead of this fixture. Besides, five of six of Chelsea’s PL losses have come on the road, which shows they are not comfortable away from home. However, the London giants have gone from four straight road failures to three consecutive wins across all competitions.