🏏 Sat, 17 Oct 2026 12:30 BST
Everton
vs
Chelsea
4-2-3-1 vs 4-2-3-1
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- Fifth meets sixth with both clubs level on 10 points from six matches, Everton ahead only on goal difference (+3 against Chelsea's +2). Brentford sit on the same tally in fourth, so three points here would lift the winner above them. Manchester City's 18 points already open an eight-point gap at the top, which neither side can afford to let grow.
- The two records could hardly contrast more sharply. Everton are yet to lose, with two wins and four draws, but have mustered only eight goals; Chelsea have scored 15 and conceded 13 from three wins, one draw and two defeats. Everton's last five brought 1-1 at Bournemouth, 2-2 with Manchester United, 0-0 at Tottenham and 2-2 at Hull City, their lone victory a 1-0 home win over Ipswich.
- Chelsea's travel sickness is the glaring issue. Over their last five they beat Brighton 4-3 and Bournemouth 5-1 at home and drew 2-2 with Hull City, but lost both away days — at Arsenal and then a 3-0 beating at Brentford. Now they face the only unbeaten team in this fixture on their own patch.
- Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall lines up against his former club. The 28-year-old left-footed central midfielder won a Championship title with Leicester City before a spell at Chelsea, then joined Everton in the summer of 2025. His box-to-box engine and ability to arrive late in the penalty area give the hosts a direct route at the visitors' midfield.
- Tyrique George waits on the Everton bench against the club that developed him. The 20-year-old right winger arrived on loan from Chelsea in January 2026 after Jack Grealish's injury — and Grealish starts here. George has already banked minutes in the UEFA Conference League and at the Club World Cup, and brings pace and close control off the bench.
- A heavyweight goalkeeping match-up. Jordan Pickford, 32 and England's long-serving first choice, is known for sharp reflex saves and the accuracy of his left-footed distribution. At the other end stands Emiliano Martinez, the 195cm Argentina international who was central to the 2022 World Cup triumph and remains a specialist in shootouts, having come through spells at Arsenal and on loan at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
- Everton's five goals conceded in six games owe much to the pairing of Jarrad Branthwaite — a 195cm left-footed England centre-back of 24 — and 33-year-old captain James Tarkowski, schooled in the Burnley way. They must handle Joao Pedro, the 25-year-old Brazil forward signed from Brighton for GBP 60m, whose soft touch and clever movement are built for dragging big defenders out of position.
- Chelsea's back three features academy graduate Levi Colwill (23, left-footed), the 190cm Frenchman Maxence Lacroix (26), whose career runs through Wolfsburg and Crystal Palace, and 20-year-old Josh Acheampong, a natural right-back slotting into the line. Ahead of them the wing-backs are Jorrel Hato, the Dutchman who captained Ajax at 17, and Portugal's Pedro Neto, lethal cutting inside onto his left foot.
- The midfield contrast is stark. Everton pair 19-year-old Harrison Armstrong, at the club's academy since the age of five, with 25-year-old James Garner, a Manchester United product whose long passing and set-piece delivery are among his best assets. Chelsea counter with Moises Caicedo, the Ecuador holder signed for a British-record GBP 115m, alongside 36-year-old Jordan Henderson, a Champions League winner with Liverpool.
- Up front Everton lead with Thierno Barry, a 195cm French striker of 23 who arrived in the summer of 2025 after scoring 11 La Liga goals for Villarreal, a threat both in the air and running in behind. Behind him is Jack Grealish, 31, still working back from a broken leg but capable of setting the tempo down the left with the foul-drawing dribbling that defined his years at Aston Villa and Manchester City.