EVERTON and Chelsea both ended last season living on their nerves so they will be desperate to start the new Premier League campaign on a positive note when they face off at Goodison Park.
While the Toffees were embroiled in a desperate battle to avoid the drop, Chelsea's entire future was shrouded in doubt after the invasion of Ukraine saw sanctions imposed while Roman Abramovich tried to sell the club.
Things eventually worked out well for both clubs, with a thrilling comeback win over Crystal Palace saving the Toffees from the drop on a good night for me before Todd Boehly completed his Stamford Bridge takeover.
It still hasn't been a stress-free summer for either set of supporters though thanks to some worrying results in pre-season friendlies. Everton were battered 4-0 by Minnesota United in America while the Blues lost by the same scoreline against Arsenal to leave boss Thomas Tuchel deeply concerned.
Both teams badly needed fresh blood over the summer and the new signings are slowly starting to arrive, with Lampard reversing a trend that had seen the Toffees squander millions on foreign flops.
James Tarkowski and Dwight McNeill look like shrewd signings while Chelsea have also brought in proven talents by snapping up Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly and Marc Cucurella.
The spending won't stop there, with Barcelona's Frenkie de Jong the latest to be linked with Stamford Bridge, but Tuchel still has enough talent in his squad to expect three points from their Premier League opener.
How the bookies view it
Given how much of a mess Everton were in towards the end of last season, it's no great surprise to see them as big as 5/1 for a win at SpreadEx. Chelsea's best price is 4/6 at BoyleSports while the stalemate pays 3/1 with Bet365.
Recent head to head
Everton have been a bogey team for Chelsea in recent seasons and the Blues have beaten them just twice in the last nine meetings. Despite having a nightmare campaign, the Toffees were unbeaten in this fixture last term, winning 1-0 at Goodison (below) after a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge.
Players to watch
Star striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin is out injured for Everton and it's a big blow with back-up centre forward Salomon Rondon also suspended. But new boy McNeill looks worth a punt for anytime scorer at 9/1 with Paddy Power after the winger netted twice in a friendly win over Dynamo Kiev.
Sterling will also be hoping to grab a debut goal to make himself an instant hero the the Chelsea fans. The England star is 9/4 at SkyBet to score and that looks decent value.
Anything else catch the eye?
With both teams suffering heavy defeats during pre-season, armchair fans will be hoping for a few goals. Both teams to score pays a best 66/67 at SBK while over 2.5 goals is 22/23 with the same firm.
Chelsea new boy Koulibaly picked up eight yellows and a red for Napoli last term so it could pay to back him to fall foul of the referee on his Premier League debut. He's 3/1 at Unibet to be carded and that looks a bit overpriced.
Despite failing to beat Everton last term, Chelsea dominated the corner count, winning 15 across both games while the Toffees only racked up four. That suggests the evens on offer at BetVictor for Chelsea -2 in the corner handicap has a great chance of landing.
This English Premier League match between Everton and Chelsea will be played on Aug 6, 2022 and kick off at 17:30. Check below for our tipsters best Everton vs Chelsea prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
