Chelsea will travel to Goodison Park this Saturday to play Everton in their first game of the 2022/23 Premier League season.
Venue: Goodison Park (Liverpool)
Key Statistics
Everton have won just one of their last four competitive games (one draw and two losses).
The Toffees have lost 12 of their last 20 league matches
They have conceded 2+ goals in ten of their last 20 league matches.
They are unbeaten in their opening PL match in each of the last ten seasons (W4, D6), which is the longest ongoing top-flight run.
Chelsea has lost just one of their last eight away league games, winning five and drawing two.
The Blues have scored 2+ goals in ten of their last 20 league matches.
Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has more career clean sheets against Chelsea (five) than any other side.
Head to head
In 60 Premier League meetings between both sides, Chelsea have recorded 27 wins while Everton have 13 wins (D20).
Latest performances in all competitions (including friendlies)
Everton: W-W-L-L-L
Chelsea: W-W-L-L-W
Everton
Frank Lampard will hope to begin his first full season in charge of Everton with a win when his former side Chelsea visit on Saturday.
The former Chelsea player and manager took over from Rafa Benitez mid-way through last season and was able to secure top-flight football for his side in the penultimate game of the season.
He will now be hoping his side can begin on a pleasant note to avoid the drama that followed their torrid campaign last time out. But even the most optimistic of Everton fans might find it difficult to be positive this season given the situation of things at Goodison Park.
The signs for another disastrous campaign are already showing as Everton have failed to sign a striker having sold main attacker Richarlison to Tottenham this summer. And given that they revealed this week that striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin will face an extended spell on the sidelines, it is difficult to envision how they intend to get goals in this game.
Their preseason form also points to unpreparedness, as they were able to score a goal in their first two preseason games against Arsenal (2-0) and MLS side Minnesota (4-0). They did score in their last two games though; a 4-2 win over Blackpool and a 3-0 win over Dynamo Kyiv. They will now hope that they can sustain their goal-scoring feat against a Chelsea side they beat 1-0 the last time both sides met on this ground.
Possible Everton starting line-up
Jordan Pickford; Michael Keane, James Tarkowski, Benjamin Godfrey; Nathan Patterson, Alex Iwobi, Abdoulaye Doucoure, Vitalii Mykolenko; Anthony Gordon, Demarai Gray; Dwight McNeil.
Injured: Andre Gomes, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Andros Townsend
Doubtful: Asmir Begovic, Seamus Coleman
Suspended: None
Chelsea
After a summer of changes, Chelsea will look to begin their life under new owners with a huge win when they travel to Merseyside on Saturday.
The Blues ended the Roman Abramovich era towards the end of last season and will begin the Todd Boehly era officially when they run out on the Goodison Park turf against a side managed by their former player and manager.
Having added experienced players Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly to their ranks, Thomas Tuchel will feel his side is ready to begin the league season. The former PSG and Borussia Dortmund coach has overseen relative success at Stamford Bridge since replacing Lampard in January last year.
However, his side struggled to replicate his first-season success last year as they ended the season without a trophy and a distant 19 points behind eventual PL winners Manchester City.
They will hope to close the gap between them and City and Liverpool this season and will be desperate to do so in this game. Having already lost to Charlotte and Arsenal in their pre-season friendlies, they ended their pre-season with two wins on the bounce against Udinese.
A win in this game will be their minimum requirement, as it will help set the course for what promises to be a challenging season for the top six clubs.
Possible Chelsea starting line-up
Edouard Mendy; César Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva, Kalidou Koulibaly; Reece James, Marcos Alonso, N’Golo Kante, Jorginho; Mason Mount, Raheem Sterling; Kai Havertz.
Injured: Timo Werner, Ross Barkley
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Prediction
Everton 1-2 Chelsea
