Chelsea Vs Everton Prediction: Maresca Is Looking For Fresh Wind Amid Pressure, The Blues Are Superior In Statistics

Pedro Neto, is expected to return to being the hero of Chelsea's victory (photo: x @chelsea)

JAKARTA - Chelsea will host Everton at Stamford Bridge on Saturday 26 April in the Premier League. This match is becoming increasingly strong pressure on coach Enzo Maresca. Despite a dramatic win over Fulham last week, the spotlight is still sharp leading to the coach who will be absent from the sidelines due to sanctions.

The 2-1 win over Fulham, thanks to Tyrique George and Pedro Neto's late goals, made Chelsea extend their unbeaten streak to four. However, their struggle to enter the top five is still tough with challenging schedules, including against Liverpool, Newcastle, and Manchester United after Everton.

Despite aiming for a title at the UEFA Conference League, the main focus remains on the Premier League, especially as finishing in the top five will guarantee a ticket to next season's Champions League. Playing at home is a big advantage, as the Blues have never lost to Everton in their last 29 home games in the league since 1994.

Since being handled again by David Moyes, Everton has impressed with nine unbeaten matches. However, their performance began to slow down, only winning four points from the last four matches. The defeat to Manchester City last week confirmed that Toffees still had difficulty facing the top team.

However, Everton remains safe in 13th place in the standings, far ahead of the relegation zone, and has shown more solid performance since the Moyes era began, collecting 21 points seven more than the combined three bottom teams in the same period.

From Chelsea, Malo Gusto is doubtful of appearing until the end of the season with a muscle injury, following Wesley Fofana who is also out of business. Maresca is likely to keep fielding his best team, with Tyrique George having a chance to start after performing brilliantly as a substitute last week. Cole Palmer is still trusted even though he has 16 goalsless matches.

For Everton, James Tarkowski is confirmed to be absent due to a hamstring injury. Michael Keane, who came in to replace him against City, was able to be replaced by Jake O'Brien at the heart of defense. On the front lines, Armando Broja could not play against his parent club, making Beto a mainstay with Calvert-Lewin still injured.

With confidence from the home record against Everton as well as motivation towards the top five, Chelsea are seeded for victory. Although Everton's performance improved under Moyes, losing Tarkowski and their difficulty scoring goals could make it difficult for them at Stamford Bridge.

Estimated Lineup ofChelsea Players (4-2-3-1):Sanchez; James, Chalobah, Colwill, Cucurella; Enzo, Caicedo; George, Palmer, Neto; Jackson

Everton (4-5-1):Pickford; jurisprudence, O'Brien, Brantwaite, Mykolenko; Harrison, Gueye, Garner, Doucoure, Ndiaye; Beto

Score Prediction: Chelsea 2-0 Everton