The elongated international break was very kind to Chelsea FC. They got a lot of their injured guys back to full fitness, and now their injury list is quite short. Ditto for Everton, whose compilation of walking wounded names is even smaller. The two sides will meet in the first match of the next Premier League weekend, a lunchtime fixture that is sneaky good, at least on paper. The visiting Blues have a trio of injury concerns, in Reece James, Jamie Gittens and Emmanuel Emegha. For the Toffees, just one- Vitalii Mykolenko.
Chelsea FC at Everton FYIs
Kickoff: Sat. Oct 17, 12:30pm, Hill Dickinson Stadium, Liverpool, UK
Chelsea FC Preview Material: Starting XI Prediction
PL Position, Form: Chelsea 6th 10 pts, WLDLW Everton 5th, 10 pts, DDDWD
Result Probability: Chelsea win 44% Draw 26% Everton win 30%
Team News for Both Sides
Let’s start with the hosts, last Friday, heading into the 2-2 draw with Hull City this past weekend, David Moyes said that Mykolenko: “has got a chance for Sunday; the extra day might help.” So now, you got to think that Mykolenko has an even better chance, for this Saturday.
His injury is an unspecified leg problem of some sort, which some are reporting to be a knock, so we’ll put him in the 50/50 category.
Shifting over to the Blues, Xabi Alonso said the following on Saturday, in regards to the team captain: “Unfortunately, Reece picked up a little injury yesterday, so let’s see the tests to assess it.”
It’s probably more than just a “little injury,” as James missed training on Tuesday. Reportedly, Reece James has a knee injury. No one really knows what’s going on with Emegha right now, as informed updates on his status have been lacking. However, you can consider him ruled out of this one.
And then finally, in case you missed it, Jamie Gittens is set for an extended spell on the sidelines, due to an ankle injury.
“He’s injured his ankle, and he is going to be out for a few weeks,” Alonso said on Friday.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.