Chelsea V Everton Preview

Wednesday 22 April 2009,
Stamford Bridge
Kickoff: 20:00

Chelsea

Chelsea beat Bolton 4-3 in their last league match, the Blues' second straight win and sixth win in seven matches.

In their last five, Chelsea have won four and lost one, earning themselves twelve points from the fifteen on offer. Chelsea currently sits third in the league, three points behind second placed Liverpool and six points clear of fourth placed Arsenal.

The Blues currently have no new reported injury concerns.

Everton

Everton drew 3-3 with Aston Villa in their last league match. In their last five matches, Everton have won two, drawn two and lost one, picking up eight points from the fifteen on offer.

The Toffees currently find themselves sixth in the league, trailing fifth placed Aston Villa by two points and leading seventh placed West Ham by seven points.

Everton have no new reported injury concerns.

Prediction

The two sides drew 0-0 earlier this season at Goodison Park, while last season's Chelsea vs Everton match ended in a 1-1 draw.

With both sides through to the FA Cup Final after their wins over the weekend, this match may almost be seen as a preview of the upcoming title fight. There is, however, more at stake for both teams than getting one-up against their future opponents.

Chelsea will want to keep up the chase on frontrunners Man U and Liverpool, and will want to ensure that Arsenal has no chance of catching them by the end of the season. Everton, on the other hand, are very much in contention for fifth place at the end of the season and a good result at Stamford Bridge would hugely boost their chances.

Everton's win over Manchester United—albeit a weakened version of the Red Devils—will have undoubtedly done wonders for the confidence of the Toffees. In spite of recurring shortages in their frontline, Everton have soldiered on and have so far produced domestic results that David Moyes and his team must be very satisfied with.

Chelsea's current winning form shows no signs of letting up, with the Blues through to the semi-finals of the Champions League, the final of the FA Cup, and still technically in contention for the Premier League title after two months of very impressive performances.

Everton have a good record against Chelsea, drawing three of their last four league encounters. The win over United on the weekend is a further testament to the Toffees' ability to compete with the Big Four.

However with Chelsea in impressive form and holding a great record at home in recent times, the Blues on this occasion look like they will prove too much for the Toffees and go into the match as strong favourites for the win.

Still, as recent results have shown, it's never beyond Everton to snatch a low-scoring draw against the league's top teams, and so Chelsea will have to guard against any kind of complacency in this upcoming match between two of the league's best.

Read the complete preview with the best odds at our Chelsea - Everton odds and preview page now!

Then read our Liverpool vs Arsenal and Manchester United vs Portsmouth preview, also with the best bookmaker odds.