Chelsea vs Everton predictions: Blues could come unstuck against Toffees
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- Chelsea won 2-1 at Fulham on Sunday thanks to goals in the 83rd and 93rd minutes
- Everton's only defeat in their last six Premier League away fixtures came at table-topping Liverpool
- Recommended bet: Draw
Chelsea's late comeback win at Fulham last weekend was a crucial result in the race for a Premier League top-five finish but the Blues face a difficult run-in.
They host a dogged Everton side on Saturday before clashes with Liverpool, Newcastle, Manchester United and Nottingham Forest and there is little margin for error in the battle for Champions League places.
Everton have little to play for in terms of league position, but their only two defeats since mid-January came against Liverpool and Manchester City, so they should be competitive at Stamford Bridge.
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Team news
Chelsea are without the injured Wesley Fofana, Marc Guiu, Malo Gusto and Omari Kellyman. Winger Mykhailo Mudryk is also unavailable.
Everton centre-back James Tarkowski suffered a hamstring injury against Manchester City and is expected to be sidelined along with Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Orel Mangala and Jesper Lindstrom.
On-loan Chelsea striker Armando Broja is ineligible to face his parent club, so Beto could lead the line.
The stats
Chelsea have not scored a first-half goal in their last six league matches, while 10 of the Blues' 16 league wins this season came against teams in the bottom six.
Both teams have scored in only two of Chelsea's last seven matches, and Everton have lost only two of their last 13 league games.
Four of the Toffees' last seven matches ended 1-1, while Everton have had a league-high 14 draws this season.
Prediction
Chelsea left it late to seal a 2-1 Premier League win at Fulham last weekend and it was a similar story in the Blues' most recent home fixture.
Enzo Maresca's men trailed struggling Ipswich 2-0 at half-time before fighting back to draw 2-2 and another stalemate could be on the cards when they host Everton.
Chelsea have been far from fluent in recent weeks, beating lowly Leicester and troubled Tottenham 1-0, drawing 0-0 at Brentford and losing 1-0 at Arsenal.
They reached the Conference League semi-finals despite a shock 2-1 defeat to Legia Warsaw in the second leg at Stamford Bridge and may drop points against Everton.
The Toffees' only defeat in their last six away matches was a 1-0 reverse against Liverpool at Anfield and they stood firm until the 84th minute of last weekend's 2-0 loss to Manchester City at Goodison Park.
David Moyes's men have also drawn 1-1 at home to Arsenal and won 1-0 at Nottingham Forest in recent games and they are capable of frustrating Chelsea.
Everton's away matches average only 1.94 goals per game and another low-scoring encounter is expected at Stamford Bridge, boosting the chances of a 15th draw of the season for the Toffees.
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