Chelsea make the trip up to Hill Dickinson Stadium to face Everton in Saturday’s early Premier League kickoff.

Despite a wretched end to their summer transfer window, leaving themselves short in attack and at fullback, the Toffees are a game away from enjoying their longest unbeaten run to start a Premier League season since 2006–07. David Moyes‘s side slumped toward the finish line last season, meaning they missed out on European soccer. Still, they’ve returned with a rejuvenated presence at the start of the new campaign.

A 10-point haul leaves them fifth in the table at this early juncture, and they’re only ahead of their upcoming opponents on goal difference.

Chelsea’s sole blemish was a 3–0 defeat at Brentford before the international break, when Xabi Alonso was without an array of stars for a tricky away encounter. The Blues responded last weekend by producing what the manager described as a “complete performance” to thrash Bournemouth 5–1.

While plenty have scrutinized the start of Alonso’s reign, Chelsea are in a pretty good place and will eventually benefit from their free midweeks.

Everton vs. Chelsea Score Prediction

Blues Overcome Merseyside Woes

Chelsea’s first trip to Everton’s new home returned a 3–0 defeat. Robert Sánchez had a nightmare between the posts, as the energetic Toffees bullied a team briefly managed by Liam Rosenior.

Early kickoffs can often be dreary affairs, benefiting the away side. The Blues have struggled on their days out to the blue half of Merseyside in recent years, winning on just one of their previous nine visits. The bulk of these woes came at Goodison Park, yet their defeat here in March suggested it wasn’t merely Everton’s classic amphitheatre that was the issue. It’s something in the air.

Perhaps this time things will be different.

• João Pedro’s form: Chelsea are spearheaded by a stellar triumvirate in attack, and while Morgan Rogers has contributed to goals in all but one of his league appearances so far, João Pedro has been the main man for Alonso’s side. His eight goal contributions lead the league, and he heads into Saturday’s match after scoring a brace against Bournemouth last time out.
• Early goals: Everton fought back to take the lead at Hull City last weekend, yet Moyes’s side hasn’t been built to play from behind. Thus, if Chelsea’s knack for scoring early continues this weekend, the hosts, more deadly when they have space to attack in transition, may be reduced to huffing and puffing against an admittedly porous Chelsea defense.
• Goals at both ends: As electric as the Blues have been going forward, they remain a work-in-progress defensively. Alonso tweaked his out-of-possession structure last weekend, improving Chelsea’s press, so it’ll be interesting to see whether that improvement is sustained away from home. Still, Emiliano Martínez hasn’t kept a clean sheet since joining the club, and no team has conceded more goals in the division so far.

Prediction: Everton 1–2 Chelsea

Everton Predicted Lineup vs. Chelsea

Moyes offered a "much better injury update" ahead of Chelsea’s visit, with Everton potentially having starting left back Vitalii Mykolenko available for the game.

Mykolenko missed last week’s draw at Hull due to a knock he sustained while playing for Ukraine during the recent break, forcing Jarrad Branthwaite into a wide position as cover. While Moyes must decide whether to take a chance on Mykolenko’s fitness or take a cautious stance given the lack of alternatives, Everton are pretty settled elsewhere.

Thierno Barry missed a bucketload but did get his goal at Hull last weekend, and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is building on an excellent debut season with the Toffees. The midfielder, who lines up against his former club here, scored and assisted in Everton’s 2–2 draw.

Everton predicted lineup vs. Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Pickford; Maitland-Niles, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Garner, Armstrong; Johnson, Dewsbury-Hall, Grealish; Barry.

Chelsea Predicted Lineup vs. Everton

There’s every chance Alonso names an unchanged team for Satuarday’s trip to Merseyside, given how well Chelsea performed against Bournemouth last week.

Moisés Caicedo’s return to the Blues’ midfield proved imperative, and the Ecuadorian will likely be partnered by Jordan Henderson again after he struck twice against the Cherries. While Alonso has Roméo Lavia to call upon, captain Reece James has undergone knee surgery that’s set to sideline him for months.

Summer arrival Marco Palestra made his Premier League bow last weekend, and he’ll be pushing fellow newbie Pep Chavarría for a starting role before the November international break. Young defender Josh Acheampong replaced Wesley Fofana last time out, and there’s no reason for Alonso to make another change.

Emmanuel Emegha remains sidelined for the visitors, and Jamie Gittens will spend a few weeks on the sidelines after picking up an injury on international duty.

Chelsea predicted lineup vs. Everton (3-4-2-1): Martínez; Acheampong, Lacroix, Colwill; Neto, Henderson, Caicedo, Chavarría; Palmer, Rogers; Pedro.

What Time Does Everton vs. Chelsea Kick Off?

• Location: Liverpool, England
• Stadium: Hill Dickinson Stadium
• Date: Saturday, Oct. 17
• Kick-off Time: 12:30 p.m. BST / 7:30 a.m. ET / 4:30 a.m. PT
• Referee: Paul Tierney
• VAR: Nick Hopton

How to Watch Everton vs. Chelsea on TV, Live Stream

This article was originally published on www.si.com as Everton vs. Chelsea: Preview, Predictions and Lineups.