One of the most intriguing fixtures on the opening weekend of the 2022-23 Premier League campaign will take place at Goodison Park on Saturday, as Everton welcome Chelsea in the late start.
The Toffees finished down in 16th position last season, only narrowly avoiding relegation to the Championship, while Chelsea were third, five points clear of fifth-place Arsenal in the battle for the Champions League spots.
Match preview
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Everton will be looking to improve on what was a hugely difficult 2021-22 campaign in the coming season, with the team finishing 16th in the Premier League table, just four points above the relegation zone, as they faced the prospect of dropping into the second tier of English football.
The Toffees remain one of six English clubs to have never been relegated from the Premier League, but they had been picked out as possible European challengers last term, and the only real positive was that they managed to finish above the bottom three, with Frank Lampard helping to secure survival after being appointed in January.
The 2021-22 campaign ended with a 5-1 defeat at Arsenal, but Lampard managed to steer the club to safety, finishing on 39 points, boasting a record of 11 wins, six draws and 21 defeats from 38 matches.
Everton have only managed to sign three players in the current market, bringing in James Tarkowski and Dwight McNeil from Burnley, with the former available on a free transfer, while Ruben Vinagre has made the move to Goodison Park on loan from Sporting Lisbon.
Lampard will be desperate to get one over on his former club this weekend, and a positive result against the Blues would lead them nicely into matches against Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest, Brentford and Leeds United before the end of the month.
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Chelsea, meanwhile, managed to finish third in the Premier League last season despite the off-the-field issues regarding their ownership, so they will again play in the Champions League this term.
The Blues have managed to boost their squad with four players this summer, bringing in Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly, Carney Chukwuemeka and Gabriel Slonina, but they are still short of a centre-forward following Romelu Lukaku's return to Inter Milan on loan.
Meanwhile, two key defenders in the shape of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen have left on free transfers this summer, and head coach Thomas Tuchel has not been pleased with the club's pre-season.
The London giants will enter this match off the back of a 3-1 win over Udinese last Friday, but they lost to both Charlotte FC and Arsenal during their pre-season tour of the United States, with the Gunners beating them 4-0, which led to a host of criticism from Tuchel.
Chelsea will welcome Tottenham Hotspur in their second match of the season next weekend, so there is pressure on the team to start the campaign with a positive result, but it remains to be seen whether the capital outfit are entirely ready for the return of competitive action.
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Team News
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Everton boss Lampard revealed during Thursday's pre-match press conference that Dominic Calvert-Lewin is facing six weeks on the sidelines with a knee injury that he suffered in training.
Yerry Mina is fit and available and should start in the middle of the defence, but Salomon Rondon is suspended, which could see Demarai Gray operate through the middle with support from McNeil and Anthony Gordon.
Seamus Coleman, Tom Davies, Andre Gomes and Andros Townsend are all still unavailable, but Allan could be back in central midfield despite his recent fitness issues, with Lampard not having too many options in that area due to the club's injury issues.
Tarkowski is set to make his debut in a back three, with Michael Keane potentially the player to drop out if Mina is deemed fit enough to take to the field for the first whistle.
As for Chelsea, there is likely to be a debut at the back for Koulibaly, while Sterling could play in a front three with England teammate Mason Mount and Kai Havertz.
Timo Werner is a fitness doubt for the Blues due to a hamstring issue, while there is also widespread speculation surrounding his future, so the Germany international is not expected to be considered for a start.
Tuchel will also need to make a call on Cesar Azpilicueta amid the speculation surrounding his future, but it is believed that the Spaniard is now set to remain at Stamford Bridge.
Reece James and Ben Chilwell are set to feature as the wing-backs, with Mateo Kovacic and N'Golo Kante expected to start in the middle of the park.
Everton possible starting lineup:
Pickford; Godfrey, Mina, Tarkowski; Patterson, Doucoure, Allan, Mykolenko; Gordon, Gray, McNeil
Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Mendy; Azpilicueta, T Silva, Koulibaly; James, Kante, Kovacic, Chilwell; Mount, Havertz, Sterling
We say: Everton 1-2 Chelsea
Chelsea are not quite where they want to be leading into the new season, but the same can also be said for Everton, who are short in the final third due to Calvert-Lewin's injury. We are expecting a very tight match and would not be surprised to see a draw, but Chelsea should just have enough to emerge victorious.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Matt Law
