Chelsea midfielder Eden Hazard (Photo : Reuters)
Everton FC (1-1-2, 5 points) clashes with the struggling defending Premier League champions Chelsea FC (1-2-1, 4 points) at their home stadium of Goodison Park in Walton, Liverpool on Saturday, September 12.
The Toffees are not really better than the Blues actually, as they so far only had one win after four contests in the current season.
Roberto Martínez's men opened the season with a 2-2 draw against a newly-promoted Watford team then pulled off a 3-0 blowout of Southampton in their second game. After that, they encountered top team Manchester City and lost 0-2 at home.
Everton's last game was a goalless draw with Tottenham at White Hart Lane as they kept the Spurs winless after four tries, as per BBC Sport.
The season was an even bumpier ride for Jose Mourinho and Chelsea, though.
After an unsatisfying 2-2 start to the season against Swansea City, the Blues were whitewashed by Manchester City, 0-3, in their next outing. They got a break during week 3 with a 3-2 win over West Brom, but still Mourinho was furious about his team's lack of defense.
In their last game against Crystal Palace, Chelsea lost again, 1-2, to fall eight points behind City in the overall standings, as reported by ESPN.
The Blues are set to find a breakthrough performance against the Toffees on Saturday, and that is if Everton is a willing partner.
The predicted result is a close 2-1 win for the reigning champs. It is again a much-needed break for Chelsea as they try and defend their title, but Mourinho would still be unsatisfied by both his team's offense and defense.
Everton starting lineup (4-2-3-1 formation): Howard; Coleman, Oviedo, Stones, Jagielka; Koné, Cleverley; McCarthy, Barkley, Barry; Lukaku
Chelsea starting lineup (4-2-3-1 formation): Courtois; Zouma, Cahill, Ivanovic, Azpilicueta; Matic, Fàbregas; Hazard, Willian, Pedro; Costa
