Michael Owen has predicted that Everton will come away empty handed when they take on Chelsea this Sunday at Goodison Park.
The former Magpies forward shared that manager Marco Silva is yet to guide his side to a win over one of the Premier League’s top six clubs, as well as pointing out that the Toffees have not scored in their five previous clashes with the Blues.
He adds that even though Chelsea had a Europa League tie on Thursday – which they won 5-0 – they will still get the better of Everton away from home.
“Everton have failed to score in their last five league games against Chelsea and I feel the West London side will return to the capital with all three points from a low-scoring game at Goodison,” he said in his BetVictor blog.
“Marco Silva has yet to beat a “big six” side since he took over the reins at Goodison and I feel the wait will continue despite Chelsea having a Europa League tie in Kiev on Thursday evening.”
OPINION
It is not a surprise that Owen has plumped for Everton to lose this clash. After a disappointing defeat to Newcastle last weekend, Everton desperately need to bounce back to winning ways to keep their dreams of qualifying for Europe alive. However, they could not have chosen a worse fixture in order to achieve that. Chelsea will be full of confidence after their 5-0 rout on Thursday evening, and they will go into this game believing that they are the favourites. The Toffees better be vigilant, because if their defence plays anything like they did last Saturday, they are in for a rather nasty shock. There will be no room for the same antics from goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, otherwise they will be very caught out indeed. They will no doubt cause some problems for Chelsea, but it is hard not to agree with Owen’s prediction here. Everton will need to play the best they have played for a while, and based on recent evidence, that does not look likely to happen.