Michael Owen predicts Everton clash v Chelsea
Everton will suffer another defeat when they face Chelsea on Thursday evening (16 December), according to Michael Owen.
The Toffees travel to Stamford Bridge following a disappointing 3-1 loss to Crystal Palace on Sunday (12 December).
Rafa Benitez’s side go into the game 14th in the Premier League table, while the Blues are currently third and two points off top spot.
Writing in his latest predictions column for BetVictor, Owen backed Thomas Tuchel’s men to get a 3-1 victory.
“It wasn’t a brilliant performance, but Chelsea did enough to get the win over Leeds on Saturday,” he said. “They aren’t playing well at the minute though and the form of the defence has got to be a concern for Thomas Tuchel.
“The mood around Everton isn’t good at all. I thought that win over Arsenal last Monday might be the springboard for the club but that was a really poor performance against Crystal Palace. The pressure is very much on Rafa Benitez now.
“Things aren’t going to get much better here for Rafa against one of his old sides. Chelsea’s defence has surprisingly been leaking goals, but I fancy them to get a few of their own.”
Tough challenge
It’s fair to say that no one is particularly confident that we will get anything out of the trip to Stamford Bridge.
Spirits were boosted by the dramatic late win over Arsenal but we were harshly brought back down to earth by the result and performance against Crystal Palace.
There was very little to get excited about at Selhurst Park and it was only when Salomon Rondon and Anthony Gordon came on that there was any ounce of energy in the side; before that it was negative and uninspiring.
We have only won away from home once in the Premier League this season and that was at the end of August, so travelling to high-flying Chelsea is a daunting task.
The Blues have been slightly off colour lately, but they still have far more quality in their team and have plenty of players who can hurt our defence.
In other Everton news, Graeme Souness slammed Rafa Benitez’s tactics in Sunday’s defeat to Crystal Palace.
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