Chelsea vs Everton: 3 Key Battles
Chelsea face Everton in midweek with the league leaders looking to extend their seven point lead at the top of the table.
A tough away win at Villa Park coupled with Manchester City’s 1-1 draw at home to Hull City put Mourinho’s men back in the driving seat with a seven point gap, and although Everton can be tough opponents, the returning Cesc Fabregas will add strength to Chelsea’s midfield which will be up against a resilient Everton side that drew 0-0 in a scrappy Merseyside derby.
We take a look at 3 key battles that will decide the game.
1. Romelu Lukaku vs John Terry
This will be Lukaku’s second game agaisnt his former employers as a Costa-led Chelsea ran out 6-3 winners last time around. He will be looking to make a mark at the Stamford Bridge where he started just one league game in three years, spending time out on loan at West Brom and then Everton themselves.
Lukaku spent time drifting inside from the flanks against Liverpool and that is what he’s expected to do as Everton will once again pack up the midfield and look to hit their opponents on the break.
Chelsea have been troubled in recent weeks by direct runners taking on their relatively slow defenders which prompted Mourinho to replace Gary Cahill with Kurt Zouma in recent weeks and Lukaku will do just that. Zouma will need to help out Terry who will be up for the physical battle against the 21-year-old but might require help in dealing with his pace.