Premier League action concludes on Monday night as Chelsea host Everton at Stamford Bridge, with the Blues still in with a chance of securing European football for next season.
Mauricio Pochettino’s men are ninth in the table and just four points behind seventh-placed West Ham, with the Blues holding two games in hand over their London rivals and currently on a five-game unbeaten streak at home.
Meanwhile, the Toffees are two points above the bottom three after their most recent deduction and last picked up all three points away from Goodison Park in December - in a 2-0 victory over relegation rivals Burnley.
- CHELSEA TO WIN AND OVER 3.5 GOALS
- COLE PALMER TO SCORE ANYTIME
- JAMES TARKOWSKI TO BE CARDED
Chelsea to edge entertaining encounter
While the Blues will be favourites to take all three points at home to a relegation-threatened side, recent performances would suggest that events will not entirely go their way on Monday night.
Chelsea have conceded at least two goals in each of their last seven matches across all competitions - including conceding a duo of strikes against Championship sides Leicester and Coventry, as well as at Bramall Lane last time out against the league’s bottom side Sheffield United.
A backline seemingly conceding goals with reckless abandon should offer some hope for Sean Dyche’s Everton side, who put an end to their 10-match winless streak with a fortunate 1-0 victory over Burnley last time out.
However, the Toffees have found life tricky on the road in 2024, losing five and winning none of their away Premier League fixtures this calendar year and so a positive result in West London looks unlikely.
Each of Chelsea’s last seven matches across league and cup have seen winners in the over 3.5 goals market, and an extension to this impressive goal-laden run could be on the cards.
CHELSEA TO WIN AND OVER 3.5 GOALS
Palmer can continue purple patch
Pochettino’s men have been in a rich vein of goal scoring form in recent weeks, with the Blues finding the back of the net 13 times across their last five Premier League games - averaging over two goals per 90 minutes.
One man at the focal point of this deadly attack is Cole Palmer, who has registered eight goal contributions across his last four appearances for the Blues, scoring six.
Three of these strikes came in his last home appearance - a 4-3 victory over Manchester United - and his impressive form should not be expected to end on Monday.
Tarkowski To Find Himself In Trouble
With home advantage likely to mean that Chelsea have the majority of possession, Everton will have a lot of defensive work to do and this could lead to a number of fouls being committed as the Toffees look to disrupt the momentum of the hosts.
Centre-back James Tarkowski will undoubtedly be in the thick of the action at the back and the former Burnley man could find himself in the referee’s notebook for a ninth time this season, having picked up a yellow card in each of his last three appearances.
