Chelsea v Everton predictions: In-form Toffees can frustrate top-four rivals

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Chelsea v Everton in the Premier League on Monday.

Where to watch

BT Sport 1, 6pm Monday

Best bet

Everton or draw double chance
2pts 6-4 bet365

Team news

Chelsea
Thiago Silva (thigh) and Tammy Abraham (ankle) may be fit enough for the bench. Olivier Giroud could return up front.

Everton
Tom Davies and James Rodriguez are expected to recover from knocks. Yerry Mina, Fabian Delph and Jean-Philippe Gbamin remain sidelined.

Match preview

Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea take on Carlo Ancelotti's Everton and the two managers have plenty of things in common to discuss when they bump elbows in the Stamford Bridge technical area.

Both are former Paris St-Germain coaches who are now aiming to steer their in-form boys in blue to the top four of the Premier League.

Both of their teams are racking up clean sheets and both have recently enjoyed impressive victories against Liverpool at Anfield.

Mason Mount's well-taken goal gave Chelsea a 1-0 win over Tuchel's compatriot Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool on Thursday night and bookmakers expect the Blues to repeat the trick against the top flight's other Merseyside club.

However, Everton arrive in west London on a run of three wins to nil, starting with their long-awaited derby win at Anfield where a third-minute goal from Richarlison and an 83rd-minute Gylfi Sigurdsson gave the Toffees a sweet 2-0 victory.

Their subsequent 1-0 wins over Southampton and West Brom were less memorable but just as valuable in the battle for a top-four spot.

Brazil international Richarlison scored the winner in both games, while centre-backs Ben Godfrey and Michael Keane impressed again as Everton allowed the Saints and the Baggies only four shots on target between them.

The Toffees still have some way to go to match Chelsea's miserly defensive record under Tuchel. In ten games in all competitions since he succeeded Frank Lampard, the Blues have conceded only two goals – and one of those was an Antonio Rudiger own goal in a 2-1 win at Sheffield United.

It is hard to pick holes in Chelsea's defending after clean sheets against Atletico Madrid, Manchester United and Liverpool in their last three outings and influential centre-back Thiago Silva could return to the squad against Everton.

But Tuchel may require more time to strike the right balance in midfield and attack, and his side have scored only 11 goals, including three penalties, in the first ten matches of his reign.

At the prices, then, Chelsea are worth opposing against an in-form Everton side who have excelled away from home this season.

Their victory at the Hawthorns on Thursday was their ninth in 13 away games in the league. Since back-to-back defeats at Southampton and Newcastle in the autumn, the Toffees have won seven of their nine road fixtures and drawn the other two at Burnley and Manchester United.

They have fared well in big games this season, taking four points off Liverpool and Leicester, winning their opening fixture at Tottenham, and beating Lampard's Chelsea 1-0 at Goodison Park in December.

Everton are a little flattered by their points tally according to expected-goals models, hence Chelsea's short price. However, the visitors have a well-drilled defence, possess two potent goalscorers in Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin and a strong away record which suggests they can frustrate their hosts.

Key stat

Everton have scored in 12 of their 13 Premier League away games this season.

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