Everton welcome Chelsea to Goodison Park on 17 October 2026 for a Premier League Gameweek 7 fixture, with both teams sitting on 10 points after six matches - Everton fifth, Chelsea sixth.
David Moyes returned to Everton on 11 January 2025, replacing Sean Dyche and this is his first full campaign back at the club. Xabi Alonso took charge of Chelsea on 1 July 2026, replacing Liam Rosenior in what is his first season in the Premier League.
Everton's league sequence reads D D D W D, a run built on not losing rather than winning convincingly, with three of those five results being draws they had to hold onto. They remain unbeaten in the league this season. Chelsea's W L D L W is more turbulent, though the 5-1 win over Bournemouth ended a run where they had scored twice in three games, suggesting the attack is finally finding its rhythm again.
Everton's main concern is Vitalii Mykolenko, a doubt after picking up a knock on international duty, which forces adjustments in a backline that has otherwise looked solid. Chelsea are without Jamie Gittens due to an ankle injury, while Reece James is a doubt with a knee issue and Emmanuel Emegha is also uncertain with a hamstring concern. Chelsea's 3-4-2-1 asks the wing backs to function as both full backs and wide attackers simultaneously, so losing James on the right removes the defensive cover and the delivery into the box on that flank in one go, meaning Alonso may have to ask a midfielder to fill the wing back role rather than use a natural wide option.
Everton's 4-2-3-1 is organised around a double pivot that rarely leaves the space between the lines, forcing opponents to go wide or over the top rather than through the middle. Thierno Barry has three league goals already, with Jack Grealish creating from attacking midfield and Jarrad Branthwaite anchoring a defence that has conceded just five times in six league games.
Chelsea's 3-4-2-1 is built on width, half space movement and the kind of positional interchange Alonso used so effectively at Bayer Leverkusen. Joao Pedro leads the line with eight or more goal involvements, while Cole Palmer is the primary creative force and Rogers drifts between the lines rather than staying wide, giving Chelsea a third body in central spaces. The system has produced no clean sheets in recent league outings though, which becomes a real problem against a side that delivers set pieces as well as Everton do.
Mykolenko's absence may force Everton into a more rigid defensive shape, potentially limiting how high they push on the left. Chelsea's doubts over James and Emegha cut into their options for overlapping runs and transition pace and without natural wide outlets Alonso may rely on Palmer dropping deeper to receive and Rogers making runs between the centre backs rather than in behind. Branthwaite needs to hold his positioning and deny space behind the line, while Barry will look to punish any gaps opened up by Chelsea's attacking full backs.
Grealish in central areas draws midfielders out of shape and Everton's set piece delivery improves significantly when he has already won two or three fouls in the first half. Palmer and Rogers, meanwhile, need to combine quickly before Everton's shape closes off the central lanes. Chelsea have conceded from set pieces in consecutive league outings and that is where Everton's delivery into the box is most likely to cause real damage.
Chelsea have the better historical record overall but Everton have been unbeaten in eight of their last nine Premier League home games against them, including a 3-0 win in the most recent Goodison meeting in 2025/26. Set pieces are a consistent weapon for Everton under Moyes and Chelsea's recent inability to keep clean sheets means they concede from dead ball situations through near post confusion and poor second ball positioning. With James and Emegha potentially absent, that vulnerability only deepens. Expect Moyes to target early deliveries into areas where Barry and supporting midfielders can arrive late and for Chelsea to need a considerably better defensive showing at restarts than they have managed recently.
The prediction is Everton 1-2 Chelsea. Everton's defensive record and home form against Chelsea make a low scoring game likely and they will create chances through set pieces and Barry's movement off the shoulder. Palmer's movement between the lines is difficult to track in a 4-2-3-1 and if Everton's pivot is exposed there Chelsea have enough quality to take all three points. Everton's shape means Chelsea are unlikely to get more than one clear chance before the hour but Chelsea's depth through the middle should outlast Everton's defensive energy in the final twenty minutes.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
