Everton line-ups for Chelsea as Idrissa Gueye and Carlos Alcaraz decisions made

Our Everton writers select their line-ups for today’s Premier League clash against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge

After ending the long wait for wins at Manchester United and Bournemouth, Everton will be looking to put another away hoodoo to bed this afternoon. The Blues haven’t beat Chelsea on their own patch in the Premier League since November 1994.

But they should be quietly confident of picking up three points at Stamford Bridge for the first time since since they triumphed 1-0 in Joe Royle’s first away game in charge thanks to Paul Rideout’s 39th-minute header some 31 years ago.

Everton have won four of their last five matches and face a Chelsea side who, while unquestionably talented, are now without a victory in their past four games in all competitions.

Blues boss David Moyes has a stronger squad to choose from, too, after the return of Idrissa Gueye and Tim Iroegbunam from suspension. So what is he to do?

Our writers have their say…
Chris Beesley

Remember, this is the team I think should play, rather than the one I think David Moyes will select. Personally, I expect the Everton manager to hand Idrissa Gueye an instant recall to the starting line-up now that his three-match suspension for slapping team-mate Michael Keane in the 1-0 win at Manchester United has been lifted.

However, given that the Blues have gone over 31 years without picking up three points at Stamford Bridge, personally I believe they should realise the shackles. That, for me, would mean keeping Chelsea old boy Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in the deeper role that he’s been so effective in throughout Gueye’s absence as he will be eager to impress and run the show from the centre of the park against his former employers.

While bringing Gueye back in, and presumably restoring Dewsbury-Hall to the number 10 role at Carlos Alcaraz’s expense would provide potentially more solidity in the engine room, three decades of such an approach as brought Everton no joy for more than three decades in this part of west London.

Therefore, it’s time to be bold and go with something more dynamic.

My team (4-2-3-1): Pickford; O’Brien, Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko; Garner, Dewsbury-Hall; Ndiaye, Alcaraz, Grealish; Barry.
Paul Wheelock

This is a tough one. My first thought: Why change a winning team? But I also feel that Everton will need to utilise Idrissa Gueye for one final time this year.

Chelsea aren’t in great form. But they still have an abundance of attacking quality and I feel the Blues – our Blues – are going to have to be solid.

Four clean sheets in the four victories they have recorded in the past five matches show they can be exactly that and James Garner, against Bournemouth, proved he can hold his own at right back against tricky wingers like Antoine Semenyo and which Enzo Maresca has a multitude of.

But I’m going to stick with the same four that started against Nottingham Forest but bring Gueye back in. The unlucky man to miss out? Carlos Alcaraz.

That’s harsh but he’ll have plenty further opportunities once Gueye and Iliman Ndiaye head off to AFCON.

My team (4-2-3-1): Pickford; O’Brien, Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko; Garner, Gueye; Ndiaye, Dewsbury-Hall, Grealish; Barry.