BBC Sport pundit Mark Lawrenson has belittled Everton by suggesting the Toffees are a ‘lesser’ side while backing Chelsea to beat Carlo Ancelotti’s men in Sunday’s Premier League clash.
Lawrenson has suggested that Frank Lampard’s Stamford Bridge natives have tended to struggle to perform at home in the Premier League this season when they have been tasked with matching up against sides supposedly below their stature.
We travel to South West London this weekend only eight points behind the Blues in the table, though will be looking to claim our first win away to Chelsea in the Premier League since November 26, 1994 and first in any competition since an FA Cup victory in February 2011.
But our form since Ancelotti was appointed is far better than that of Chelsea’s, with the Italian able to claim 18 points since his arrival compared to Lampard’s haul of 13 in ten games – only Liverpool (30) and Manchester City (19) have claimed more than we.
Yet Lawrenson does not feel that matters, and has backed Chelsea to cause Ancelotti heartbreak on his return to the ground where he once managed.
“I am sure Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti will get a great reception at Stamford Bridge, on his return to the club where he won the Premier League and FA Cup Double in 2010,” Lawrenson noted in his column for BBC Sport.
What will the result be against Chelsea?
Win
Draw
Loss
“I thought Ancelotti’s side were very unlucky not to beat Manchester United last weekend – I know Gylfi Sigurdsson was lying close to United ‘keeper David de Gea, but he was not obstructing his view – so I can see why the Toffees boss was unhappy with that decision.
“But I am going with Chelsea here. Most of their problems at home this season have come against lesser teams and I think they will be fully focused this time.”
Lawrenson has gone with a 2-0 win for Chelsea in his pre-game prediction, which would be the ninth time this season that we would have been beaten away from home in the Premier League.
Our away form to date is the 13th-best in the top-flight having claimed 12 points in 14 games from three wins and three draws, while Chelsea’s home record in 2019/20 is the 10th-best in the division.
Lampard’s Blues have won six and drawn three of their 14 league games played at Stamford Bridge, including two wins in their last four though have fallen victim to West Ham United, Bournemouth and Southampton already this term.
Our league wins on the road have come over the Saints, Newcastle United and Watford, while losing 5-2 at Liverpool, drawing 1-1 at Manchester United, losing 2-1 to Man City and 3-2 to Arsenal in our trips to those in the established top-six so far.
Sunday’s trip to South West London begins our final run of five away games this season, which will see Ancelotti’s men also travel to Norwich City, Tottenham Hotspur, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Sheffield United.
In other Everton news, the club have been linked with a young forward recording 2.0 accurate crosses per league game.