Chelsea vs Everton LIVE: Blues out to maintain undefeated record to inflict further misery on Toffees – kick-off time, team news and how to follow

Chelsea will bid to maintain their faint hopes of securing European football when they host favoured opponents Everton tonight.

The Blues continued their wildly inconsistent form by following up a dramatic win over Manchester United by drawing to bottom club Sheffield United last time out.

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Oli McBurnie’s 93rd-minute leveller kept Mauricio Pochettino‘s side in ninth, five points adrift of Man United in sixth with a game in hand.

Although disparaging, the draw stretched Chelsea‘s undefeated Premier League record to seven games.

In fact, the club’s only defeat in any competition since the end of January was the 1-0 loss to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final.

Everton secured a morale-boosting 1-0 victory over Burnley last Saturday to snap their own long wait for three points.

Chelsea vs Everton: Feeling Blue

Ex-Everton striker Kevin Campbell told talkSPORT his worries about the effect the club’s latest points deduction will have on the squad.

The Toffees have had two points stripped off them for another breach of Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules.

It adds to their earlier six points deduction, which the Toffees appealed down from 10, to further fuel a miserable campaign for Dyche, whose side are now just two points from the relegation zone.

The Merseysiders now return to their bogey ground, Stamford Bridge, desperate to end their horror form in SW6.

Everton are winless in their last 28 away league games against Chelsea – only at Leeds (35 between 1946 and 2001) have they had a longer run without a win on the road in their top-flight history.

• Chelsea are unbeaten in their last 28 Premier League home games against Everton (W15 D13) since a 1-0 loss in November 1994. It’s their longest unbeaten home run against a side in their top-flight history.
• Only Burnley and Sheffield United (12 each) have failed to score in more different Premier League games than Everton this season (11), while only the Blades (30) have scored fewer goals than the Toffees (32). After a run of three straight wins in which they scored 2+ goals in December, Everton have only scored more than once in one of their last 14 Premier League games (2-2 v Spurs).
• Chelsea have conceded 52 goals in the Premier League this season, only shipping more in 2015-16 (53), 2019-20 (54) and 1996-97 (55) in 38-game seasons in the competition. Their 25 goals conceded at home this term is their second most in a single campaign after 2015-16 (30).

Chelsea vs Everton: Team news

The hosts are hoping to welcome back Ben Chilwell, but Axel Disasi and Enzo Fernandez are fresh injury doubts, with Raheem Sterling and Robert Sanchez both struggling with illness.

Chelsea remain without Lesley Ugochukwu, Levi Colwill, Christopher Nkunku, Reece James, Romeo Lavia, and Wesley Fofana.

For Everton, Dominic Calvert-Lewin missed first-team training on Thursday due to a hamstring scare but is still set to start.

James Garner and Arnaut Danjuma are also closing in on comebacks, as are midfield duo Amadou Onana and Idrissa Gueye.

Dele Ali and Lewis Dobbin both remain long-term absentees.

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• Following their 2-0 win at Goodison Park in December, Everton are looking to complete their first league double over Chelsea since 1978-79.
• Everton are winless in their last 28 away league games against Chelsea – only at Leeds (35 between 1946 and 2001) have they had a longer run without a win on the road in their top-flight history.
• Chelsea have both scored and conceded at least twice in each of their last seven matches in all competitions. In English football history, no top-flight side has ever done so in eight consecutive games before.

Chelsea vs Everton: What has been said?

Pochettino has opened the door to Chelsea signing experienced players this summer following two years of a strict youth policy.

“We can keep going in the same way with the policy [to sign young players],” Pochettino said.

“But in the squad, we have Thiago Silva, Raheem Sterling and Marcus Bettinelli. Maybe Marcus isn’t playing but he does a fantastic job helping the young guys.

“We have experienced players in the squad. It is not going against the project to have some players who are helping the young guys to perform, to be professional, and to understand what it means to be in the Premier League and to be at Chelsea.

“We need to talk and decide the strategy for next season.”

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• Everton’s 1-0 win against Burnley last time out ended a 13-game winless run in the Premier League. Each of their last five league wins have been to nil, with the Toffees failing to win any of their last 12 when conceding at least once (D4 L8).
• After a run of 18 Premier League games without a goal, Dominic Calvert-Lewin has scored in his last two appearances, with these strikes earning Everton three points. He last scored in three consecutive league games in August 2021.
• Cole Palmer has been involved in 25 goals in his last 22 Premier League games, scoring 16 and assisting nine. One more assist would see him become the first Chelsea player to register double figures for both goals and assists in his first Premier League season with the club.

Chelsea vs Everton: How to follow

This Premier League clash will take place on Monday, April 15.

Kick-off at Stamford Bridge is scheduled for 8pm.

talkSPORT will have live and EXCLUSIVE coverage from west London, presented by Adrian Durham.

Commentary comes from Sam Matterface and former England midfielder Danny Murphy.