The teams are in for the Premier League clash between Everton and Chelsea today, the Blues need to come away with a win if they’re serious about finishing in the top four. The Blues will be looking to play with much more intensity than they did against Wolves last weekend, the west London club rescued a point in the last minute thanks to a last-gasp equaliser by superstar Eden Hazard. Maurizio Sarri has made two changes to the side that drew against Premier League new-boys Wolves last weekend, the Italian has called left-back Marcos Alonso back into the team – in the place of Emerson. Sarri has also switched out Mateo Kovacic for one-time Everton golden-boy Ross Barkley – the England international was one of the best players to come out of Everton’s academy but his reputation was tarnished when reports suggested he pushed for a move away from his boyhood club to Chelsea. This is a massive game for Barkley, now is the time to prove himself. Eyes will also be focused on striker Gonzalo Higuain today, the Argentinian needs to show his sharpness, otherwise fans will call for a chance to be given to Olivier Giroud – the Frenchman scored a hat-trick in the Blues’ Europa League clash on Thursday night. Check out Chelsea’s lineup below: Our team news is in at Goodison Park! ?#EVECHE pic.twitter.com/z8gvwEDcne — Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) March 17, 2019 These Chelsea fans weren’t very pleased with Sarri’s team selection, from the outside looking in – it seems as though the Blues are too predictable with their lineups and more importantly Sarri still hasn’t nailed down his best players in certain positions. It feels as though Barkley and Kovacic are stuck in some kind of revolving door, you’d think that Sarri would know which player was better at this late stage of the season. Check out some reaction to the team news below: Back to square one.. — Hassan (@Echkaayy) March 17, 2019 Barkley starts. I’m done with this club. — Prabhu (@prabhutewari) March 17, 2019 Alonso??? — Aryan Gupta (@AryanGu92696431) March 17, 2019 ALONSO LOOOOOOOOOL ARE YOU MAD — N’Golo (@Hoo_FlungDung) March 17, 2019 Who would’ve thought… — Dan T (@KanteIsACDM) March 17, 2019 No surprise after all — JS ???? (@EHSZN) March 17, 2019 Disappointed, but not surprised. — Lav (@LavCFC) March 17, 2019 I’m not confident with Alonso and Barkley in the starting lineup. I hope they prove me wrong. #EVECHE #CFC — Red Rose ? (@Roseangel009) March 17, 2019 When will Sarri learn — Hazard fc (@emmaa_tee) March 17, 2019 Today’s clash is crucial for the Blues, they have the chance to move onto the same points as fourth placed Arsenal. If Chelsea are to have any hopes of finishing in the top four they will need to win today and against a team that has won just one of their last six games, fans will be expecting a dominant performance.<doc-sep>LIVE BLOG 90+5min: Chelsea unable to find even a consolation goal. Giroud has an effort from short range blocked by a sea of legs and then the whistle goes. FULL TIME. 90min: 5 minutes added on. 86min: Everton now seeing out the game quite comfortably. 82min: CHO draws a good save from Pickford with a strong effort from the top of the box. 80min: Kepa makes a good save as Walcott gets on the end of a long ball. 77min: Hudson-Odoi sets up Hazard at the top of the box, but his shots is blocked by Keane. Kanté’s follow-up effort is blocked as well. 76min: Alonso avoids a second yellow for a foul, plus a push on Richarlison in the same move. 74min: Hudson-Odoi on for Jorginho as Chelsea switch to a 4-2-3-1 like last weekend. 72min: GOAL! Sigurdsson takes, Kepa saves, but the rebound is straight back to Sigurdsson who places the ball into the empty net. 2-0, Everton. 70min: Another Everton chance as Alonso clears but Gueye has a pop, blocked. But Everton maintain possession and pressure and Richarlison draws the foul from Alonso inside the area. Penalty. 68min: Schneiderlin on for André Gomes as Everton look lock things down. Gueye meanwhile wins the ball off Hazard and launches the counter, but Rüdiger & Co recover well enough. 65min: Double change for Chelsea, as Loftus-Cheek and Giroud arrive on the scene and Barkley and Higuaín make way. 64min: Barkley healthy enough to have a go from the top of the box after good work from Kanté and Hazard, but his shot is blocked and Everton gather. 63min: Barkley appears to have picked up a lower leg injury, and should shortly be replaced. He remains on for now, but is not moving well. 61min: A harsh foul and an even harsher booking for Rüdiger after Bernard makes a meal of making contact with Rüdiger’s arm. 60min: David Luiz goes long to Kanté, who lays it back to Higuaín, who unleashes a low powerful drive from 20 yards. But Pickford’s down quick and strong with the arm. Kanté gets to the rebound but is called offside. 58min: Bernard and Digne combine on the left as Azpilicueta slips. Digne’s cross eludes Rudiger, but Calvert-Lewin makes a mess of his finish and Chelsea survive. Everton do have a corner, but Keane heads over and wide. 56min: Barkley’s requiring some treatment and a new shirt for a bloody nose. 55min: Chelsea settle down at least and start looking for the equalizer. Alonso goes close on a volley, but just misses the near post. 49min: GOAL. Everton win a corner. Calvert-Lewin wins the first header, which Kepa parries, but Richarlison, who hadn’t done anything all game, is there to head home the rebound. 1-0, Everton. 47min: Everton come again and work right to left. Bernard lays it off to André Gomes at the top of the box, but his effort is saved by Kepa for a corner. Everton win the corner, but the header is blocked and Chelsea can counter. But it all breaks down after Alonso dallies on a pass, tries to check back, and gives the ball away. 46min: Chelsea get the second half underway, after switching the ball out, but Everton have the first chance as Calvert-Lewin puts in a deep early cross that just misses Bernard’s run at the far post. HALF-TIME: Chelsea utterly dominant in every respect except the scoreboard. Hazard has come closest with the shot that hit the post, while Pedro’s goal was ruled for a marginal, at best, offside. 45+2min: Chelsea can’t quite build anything coherent, and the whistle goes for half-time. 43min: Barkley wins a free kick in the center circle, from which David Luiz picks out Pedro making a sneaky run off the left flank. He takes a touch and finishes brilliantly. But the goal’s called back for a marginal offside. 41min: Barkley takes, but his blocked by a jumping head in the wall. Pedro twists and turns after Chelsea gather the rebound, but drags his shot just a bit wide. 40min: A two-minute spell of possession and pressure from Chelsea ends in Richarlison fouling Hazard in a shooting position, just a couple yards outside the area. 38min: Chelsea turn up the pressure again, but Everton holding strong at the back. 36min: Alonso earns the first yellow card for a game for a pullback on Richarlison. Everton have a free kick out wide right, about level with the top of the D. Sigurdsson swings it in and Calvert-Lewin is unmarked but puts his header over. 33min: Chelsea work the ball from Pedro to Hazard to Barkley, who picks out Higuaín, but his first-time effort is a little too high. Another nice move from Chelsea, but without an end result. 31min: A last ditch sliding tackle from Keane prevents Hazard from getting in 1-v-1. Higuaín with a great throughball that time. 30min: Chelsea build very very nicely, back to front, stringing the passes together. Eventually Alonso cuts a ball back to Pedro, but shanks his effort wide of the target. 29min: Everton give away a very cheap corner. Hazard takes, and it’s cleared for a throw, which Chelsea make a mess of and it’s Everton’s ball. 26min: Kanté finds Pedro running up the right flank. He puts in an early deep cross, but it’s just too far ahead of Hazard. 25min: Chelsea with some difficulty in playing out on the right, as Everton press high. Chelsea eventually do, but then give the ball away and Everton build. André Gomes hammers one from distance, which Kepa gathers on the second attempt. 23min: Alonso with a good interception creates the latest Chelsea attack, which involves Barkley taking aim from 35 yards out. Pickford gathers with ease. 22min: A pullback on Kanté goes uncalled and Everton counter. Rüdiger clears for a throw with a covering sliding tackle. 21min: Hazard, surrounded by three, wins a free kick, which he then proceeds to give away. But Barkley works back to recover the ball.<doc-sep>After winning a place in the last eight of the Europa League, Chelsea turn attentions to winning a place in the top four of the Premier League. That quest looked a lot better before last weekend’s 1-1 draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Stamford Bridge, but with nine games left to go, hope is certainly not lost. As Manchester City and Liverpool duke it out for the title, the rest of the top six are separated by four points. Vying for two available Champions League spots, every little bit counts. This match is essentially Chelsea’s game-in-hand, as the rest of the teams immediately ahead of us had their league matches this weekend postponed due to FA Cup action. A win or a draw puts Chelsea fifth for the start of the post-international break run-in, and eight-match sprint to the finish. Date / Time: Sunday, March 17, 2019, 16:30 GMT; 12:30pm EDT; 10pm IST Venue: Goodison Park, Liverpool, England Referee: Anthony Taylor — a familiar face whom we last saw at the Emirates, as we lost 2-0 to Arsenal Forecast: Rather atrocious, with strong winds and the possibility of hail showers On TV: Sky Sports Main Event (UK); NBCSN, Telemundo (USA); Star Sports Select HD1 (India); elsewhere Streaming online: Sky Go (UK); NBC Sports Live, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo (USA); Hotstar (India); Fubo (affiliate link — USA only) Everton team news: With just 1 win in their last 6, Everton are in a bit of tailspin and are close to basically giving up on the season. They won’t relegated and they won’t finish top six — what’s there left to fight for? Manager Marco Silva will of course be hoping for something better ahead of the international break, especially as the pressure on his job continues to increase. The Toffees will be without Chelsea loanee Kurt Zouma, who’s been one of the mainstays of their defense. He will likely be replaced by man-mountain Yerry Mina, who has not really lived up to his reputation or transfer fee — though he’s hardly alone in that regard at Goodison Park this season. Everton will also be without veteran Phil Jagielka, while full backs Leighton Baines and Seamus Coleman are doubtful. View from the enemy: Royal Blue Mersey Chelsea team news: The squad remains in good health, but the results in the league have been harder to eke out than in Europe. A trip to Goodison Park is never easy, and it will be especially tough for local hero-turned-villain Ross Barkley, who’s set to play there for the first time as a non-Everton player. Gonzalo Higuaín is expected to return from his bout of illness midweek, but Davide Zappacosta appeared to pick up a knock on Thursday and might miss out (which he often does anyway). This is Chelsea’s last match until the end of the month. Previously: Chelsea came close a couple times in a rather limp 0-0 draw at the Bridge.<doc-sep>Chelsea’s chances in the Europa League may have increased quite a bit this week, but the league’s a different story. After a disappointing draw to Wolverhampton, the Blues will be looking to get back to winning ways immediately when they visit Everton at Goodison Park. This has rarely been an easy away game so Chelsea and Maurizio Sarri will have to bring their A game. PREDICTED LINEUP It’s nice to see that all the controversy surrounding Kepa Arrizabalaga has more or less disappeared now and we can solely concentrate on him shining once again between the sticks. Maurizio Sarri will surely revert back to his current trusted back four in Emerson, David Luiz, Antonio Rüdiger and César Azpilicueta. Andreas Christensen proved once more how capable he is in Chelsea’s thumping of Dynamo Kiev, but it’s hard to see him having any real chance of starting in the Premier League at the moment. Similarly, Ruben Loftus-Cheek also had a good performance on Thursday and has done more than enough to warrant being preferred to Mateo Kovačić or Ross Barkley in midfield. But as he himself admitted after going 90 minutes on Thursday, he is still coming up to full match fitness, and thus Sarri will have to rotate the midfield. Since Kovačić also completed a rare full-90, Ross Barkley should get the call in front of his old home crowd. Eden Hazard got some extra days rest this week and that’s a good thing as it doesn’t seem unreasonable to assume that he’ll have to bail Chelsea out yet again. Gonzalo Higuaín will presumably return after missing the last game due to illness while it’s probably Pedro’s turn on the right after Williand and Hudson-Odoi got the nod in midweek. 4-3-3 Arrizabalaga | Emerson, David Luiz, Rüdiger, Azpilicueta | Barkley, Jorginho, Kanté | Hazard, Higuaín, Pedro THE PEOPLE’S CHOICE Chelsea’s win over Dynamo Kiev saw several excellent performances from the second string, and the WAGNH community duly rewarded them with a second, in reality unlikely, start in just 72 hours. Giroud, Loftus-Cheek, and Hudson-Odoi thus retain their places ahead of Higuaín (46%), Barkley (25%), Kovačić (22%), Willian (18%) and Pedro (43%). Christensen (41%) does not get a similar boost however. 4-3-3 (78%) Arrizabalaga (97%) | Emerson (74%), David Luiz (70%), Rüdiger (88%), Azpilicueta (96%) | Loftus-Cheek (71%), Jorginho (80%), Kanté (98%) | Hazard (97%), Giroud (50%), Hudson-Odoi (49%) PREFERRED LINEUP While I agree with most of the community’s choices I would like to see Andreas Christensen reap the rewards of his recent good form and get his fourth league start of the season, especially as I’m not convinced of Sarri’s favoured centre-back pairing of David Luiz and Rüdiger. 4-3-3 Arrizabalaga | Emerson, David Luiz, Christensen, Azpilicueta | Loftus-Cheek, Jorginho, Kanté | Hazard, Higuaín, Hudson-Odoi COME ON YOU BLUES!! !<doc-sep>
Chelsea Team News: Injuries, suspensions and line-up vs Everton The Blues have bounced back from a terrible winter period but remain in a fierce battle to qualify for the Champions League next season Chelsea rescued a point through a late Eden Hazard strike against Wolves in the Premier League last weekend and a tough away trip to Everton now awaits. The Toffees will be looking to bounce back as they surrendered a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 in the last minute against Newcastle United last time out. There is some pressure on both Maurizio Sarri and Marco Silva ahead of Sunday's clash at Goodison Park, but the Italian does at least have a Europa League quarter-final to fall back on, with his side facing Slavia Prague in the last eight. Chelsea Injuries Chelsea have close to a full complement of players available, barring any late injuries in training, ahead of kick-off on Sunday. Ruben Loftus-Cheek is still bidding to reach full fitness as he manages the back problem that has plagued him over his career. Several first-team players were rested in the midweek trip to face Dynamo Kyiv in the Europa League, but most of them still had to make the 2,600-mile round trip. The rested players included Gonzalo Higuain, Eden Hazard and David Luiz, with all three expected to return to the starting XI to face Everton. Davide Zappacosta may well miss out having been injured in the second half against Dynamo although he would've likely dropped out for Cesar Azpilicueta anyway. Suspensions Neither Chelsea nor Everton have any suspensions to contend with ahead of Sunday's match. Chelsea Potential Starting Line-Up Chelsea will go with their strongest possible line-up to face Everton, who represent tough opposition as Sarri's side aim to improve their hopes of finishing in the top four. The Italian has only selected Azpilicueta and N'Golo Kante for every match, but much of his line-up is predictable as he remains confident in his 4-3-3 formation. The 60-year-old doesn't often rotate for Premier League games, but Willian and Pedro are fighting for a starting berth alongside Hazard and Higuain. It is a similar story in midfield as Mateo Kovacic, Ross Barkley and Loftus-Cheek fight over one spot in the central area of the pitch. Article continues below Everton Team News Chelsea loanee Kurt Zouma has been widely praised for his Toffees displays, but he is unavailable to face his parent club due to Premier League rules. Leighton Baines is also expected to be out with a back injury. Seamus Coleman withdrew from the Newcastle game with sickness, but he is likely to return. Phil Jagielka, meanwhile, is a doubt with a knock. TV channel & kick-off time The match at Goodison Park kicks off at 4:30pm GMT (12:30pm ET) on Sunday and will be shown like on Sky Sports in the UK. In the US, the game is available on NBC Sports. Best Opta Match Facts