Preview: Can Everton win once again against Chelsea?
A goal in the middle of the match by Steven Naismith saw Chelsea succumb to an excellent Everton side earlier in the season. Everton has produced against the teams ahead of them in the table this season, barring the recent loss to Liverpool of course. However, they have been off form as of late, if a win against Swansea in the FA Cup is excluded. A 1-0 loss to Spurs relegated them to sixth and pushed them behind fourth placed Liverpool by eight points.
Table topping Chelsea is the last side to remain unbeaten at home in the Premier League this season. Personally, Jose Mourinho has gone 73 home games unbeaten in the English Premier League. As manager of Chelsea he has never lost a home game. He will welcome John Terry back into the team but David Luiz is set to miss out due to a muscle problem. Marco Van Ginkel is also still out.
Romelu Lukaku is ineligible due to his Chelsea connections. His teammate, Naismith, despite the head injury against Swansea, will be able to feature. Arouna Kone, Bryan Oviedo, Antolin Alcaraz and Darron Gibson are still out nonetheless for Roberto Martinez’s side. Oviedo, despite being injured, continues to surprise his boss. Martinez is surprised at how quickly he seems to be recovering from a broken leg according to Sky Sports:
“For him to be able to walk after three weeks and even put weight on the leg, to ride a bike, shows you he's an incredible character.”
Chelsea is coming into the match after suffering an exit from the FA Cup against Manchester City, 2-0. Jose Mourinho’s team selection will be interesting, considering that he has to keep an eye out for the midweek European match against Galatasaray.
Will Chelsea win this match? Or will Everton produce another shock against the Blues?
Where to watch the match: Live Streams, Live Scores, Start Times, TV Channels:
Watch Chelsea FC vs. Everton live on Saturday, February 22, 2014:
In Canada at 07:45 ET on TSN2, RDS 2, TalkSport Radio
In the UK at 12:45 GMT on BBC One, BT Sport 1, BBC Radio 5 Live
In the USA at 07:45 ET on NBC Sports Live Extra, Benfica TV 1, NBCSN, SiriusXM FC, Mun2, TalkSport Radio
Internationally on Chelsea TV
Viewers in India can tune into Star Sports 4 India to watch the match.
For the complete TV listings and live scores upon kick-off, visit the Chelsea-Everton match page.
