Chelsea v Everton: Prediction, tips and bet builder as Blues fight for European future

It appears that the battle for the top five will go down to the wire considering the current gap between third-placed Manchester City and seventh-placed Aston Villa is a mere four points.

Chelsea are right in the mix for a return to the European elite, with the Blues currently sitting in sixth - just two points adrift of Newcastle and three of Nottingham Forest.

Finishing in the top five would not only secure Champions League qualification, but is would also mark improvement from last season’s 6th placed finish.

Trouble is, despite Chelsea’s pursuit of their rivals, the atmosphere around Stamford Bridge in recent weeks has been rather tense.

Supporters don’t seem best pleased with recent results which saw the Blues draw with the likes of Brentford and Ipswich. What’s more, Chelsea also lost 2-1 at home to Legia in the Europa Conference League, albeit they progressed with a 4-2 win on aggregate.

Evidently Chelsea are still not living up to the high standards expected by the Blues faithful, who have been starved of success over the last couple of years. 

While Maresca still has work to do in order to appease the club’s supporters, his main priority over the next five Premier League games is simply to finish inside that all-important top five.

If the Blues can couple a top five finish with a triumphant Europa Conference League campaign, the atmosphere around the club may turn in Maresca’s favour.

For Everton, Saturday’s encounter is an opportunity to set the record straight. Their visit to Stamford Bridge last season ended in a 6-0 defeat, with Cole Palmer scoring four of those goals.

What’s more, David Moyes will be determined to spark a turnaround in results, with the Toffees managing just one win from their last eight. Frustratingly for the Scot, five of those matches ended in draws.

Chelsea v Everton bet builder

Draw – 3/1

Both teams to score – 91/100

Nicolas Jackson 1+ shot on target – 2/5

Idrissa Gueye 2+ fouls – 1/1

Good luck and please gamble responsibly.

(All odds are correct at time of article publication)

There’s a lot more at stake for Chelsea in this game than Everton, but that doesn’t mean we can automatically dismiss the Toffees. On the contrary.

David Moyes’ men have only suffered two Premier League defeats since mid-January, with the two losses coming against defending champions Man City and champions-in-waiting Liverpool.

While Everton have endured a large number of draws, that does underline just how tough they are to beat.

The Toffees head to Stamford Bridge on the back of their defeat to Man City, but let’s not forget their last away outing saw them pick up a stunning 1-0 win over high-flying Nottingham Forest.

Chelsea are clearly in for a tough test and considering their recent run of form, Saturday’s encounter promises to be a close one.

The Blues have won two of their previous five Premier League games, with Pedro Neto securing a stoppage time 2-1 win over Fulham last time out.

Their two league outings prior to that both ended in draws, including a 2-2 stalemate at home against Ipswich.

Bearing everything in mind, we’re backing a Stamford Bridge draw. This result landed when the two teams last met in December and we’re backing a repeat.

However, unlike that goalless winter draw, we are expecting goals on this occasion. In fact, we’re backing both teams to get on the scoresheet, considering this bet has landed in Chelsea’s last three matches.

Speaking of the Blues, we’re adding Nicolas Jackson to our bet slip as we back the forward to have 1+ shots on target.

With Chelsea needing to win, expect the hosts to take the attacking initiative. This should provide Jackson with a fair few scoring opportunities.

We’re also putting our chips on Everton’s Idrissa Gueye. The Senegalese star has conceded more fouls in the Premier League this season than any other Everton player.

With that in mind, we’re backing the 35-year-old to concede 2+ fouls this Saturday afternoon.

Chelsea v Everton: How to watch and listen

Chelsea v Everton will be shown live on TNT Sports at 12:30 on Saturday, April 26. There will be full match commentary on talkSPORT.

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