Diego Costa vs Ashley Williams
Diego Costa could not choose a better moment to regain his confidence and the scoring touch. The Spaniard scored a brace as Chelsea won 4-2 against Southampton after a 2-0 thumping by Manchester United prior to that, which had questioned their credentials. And Costa will definitely be Chelsea’s most dangerous weapon up front as they face Everton.
Costa is definitely not the best quality-wise in Chelsea, as we all know, but the Spaniard’s antics on the pitch can make life really difficult for Everton’s back line. Costa has scored 19 goals for the Blues this season and if he is to leave for China as is widely believed, he will finish it off in style. Everton are perhaps the toughest challenge left for Antonio Conte’s men among the remaining fixtures and overcoming this will more or less seal Chelsea’s title win.
Ronald Koeman will have the 5-0 thrashing Chelsea had inflicted on them earlier in the season in mind and he will like to take revenge. He will have his best defender, Ashley Williams taking guard for him. The 32-year-old has been good since the turn of the year. He has won 50% of his average duels and is also a terrific passer of the ball.
Eden Hazard vs Idrissa Gueye
If there is one thing that Manchester United’s win over Chelsea has taught us, it is that the Blues become half paralysed if Eden Hazard isn’t allowed enough space up front. Given the shrewd tactician Koeman is, he has definitely picked up a thing or two from Jose Mourinho. And if there is anyone in his squad who could do the man marking thing better than Herrera, it is Idrissa Gueye.
Said by many as the closest thing to N’Golo Kante in the midfield, the Senegalese international has been immensely effective with his tireless displays and tight man marking. And Hazard will have to make space for him by outwitting the player. We all know that the Belgian is capable of it and if manages to dribble past players, then the game will be over in a flash.
Romelu Lukaku vs David Luiz
Chelsea might be top of the table as a whole but one look at the best Premier League table in 2017, and we see that Everton tops it this year collecting 20 points and scoring 22 times. And Lukaku has been significantly responsible for this result. The Belgian has scored 24 times and is miles ahead of the other competitors. He is the biggest threat at Goodison Park and Chelsea will be wary of it.
Conte will have David Luiz taking care of him. While the Brazilian has been flawless at times, he has also been seen conceding cheaply off late. He will have to be extremely cautious of Lukaku’s threat, especially in the air.
