Chelsea v Everton: Confirmed line-ups as Cole Palmer restored to starting XI

It’s been a disappointing couple of weeks for Chelsea and boss Enzo Maresca will be hoping his side can see off Everton this afternoon to ease the pressure.

The London club have not won since their rousing 3-0 thrashing of Barcelona on November 25, drawing with Arsenal and Bournemouth and losing to Leeds and Atalanta.

There is not any immediate threat of Maresca losing his job but it seems unlikely the Chelsea owners will afford him too much time to get their season back on track.

They start the weekend in fifth place but will be overtaken by Everton if the Toffees triumph at Stamford Bridge.

David Moyes’ side have won four of their last five in the league and will head into the contest brimming with confidence following the comprehensive 3-0 defeat of Nottingham Forest last weekend.

Midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has been instrumental in Everton’s recent good form and he will be relishing the chance to face his former club.

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CHELSEA TEAM NEWS

Liam Delap again misses out with a shoulder injury, while the game comes too soon for Dario Essugo (thigh).

It’s unclear when Romeo Lavia will be able to return from a muscle problem that has kept him out since the November 5 clash with Qarabag.

Cole Palmer returns to the starting XI having been rested in midweek. Malo Gusto, Wesley Fofana and Alejandro Garnacho are also recalled.

Chelsea: Sanchez; Gusto, W Fofana, Chalobah, Cucurella; Fernandez, James, Neto, Palmer, Garnacho; Joao Pedro

EVERTON TEAM NEWS

Jarrad Branthwaite (hamstring) is still on the sidelines for Everton, who will again be without Merlin Rohl as he continues to recover from surgery on a hernia.

Idrissa Gana Gueye returns after serving a three-match ban for slapping team-mate Michael Keane.

Everton: Pickford, O’Brien, Keane, Tarkowski, Mykolenko, Gueye, Garner, Ndiaye, Dewsbury-Hall, Grealish, Barry

How to watch Chelsea v Everton: TV channel, live online streams

Chelsea v Everton kicks off at at 15:00 GMT (10:00 ET / 07:00 PT) on Saturday and will not be broadcast live in the UK.

Chelsea v Everton stats

• Chelsea are unbeaten in their last 30 Premier League home games against Everton (W17 D13). It’s their longest unbeaten home run against an opponent in their league history. Only at Leeds United have Everton had a longer run without a win (36 from 1953 to 2001).
• Everton have failed to score in 27 different Premier League games against Chelsea, including each of the last three in a row. They have only drawn a blank more often against Manchester United and Liverpool (28 each).
• Chelsea are winless in their last three Premier League matches (D2 L1) after winning five of their previous six games (L1). The Blues’ sole longer winless run under Maresca came in December and January last season (five games).
• Everton have won four of their last five Premier League games, keeping a clean sheet in each victory. Since David Moyes’ first game of his second spell on January 15 this year, only Manchester City (13), Arsenal (13) and Chelsea (11) have more Premier League victories without conceding than Everton (10).
• Chelsea have dropped more points from winning positions in Premier League home games than any other side this season (8), drawing 1-1 with Arsenal having scored first last time out. It’s already one more point than they dropped at home from winning positions in the entirety of last season (7).