"It will be like an air raid" - Mark Lawrenson makes incredible Mauricio Pochettino claim while predicting Everton vs Chelsea result
Former Liverpool defender Mark Lawrenson has predicted Chelsea to draw their upcoming Premier League game against Everton on Sunday, December 10. He believes Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has reservations about his side's defense following the Blues' loss to Manchester United in a midweek league fixture.
The west London outfit suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of the Red Devils at Old Trafford as Scott McTominay grabbed a brace, with Cole Palmer netting once for the visitors.
Chelsea are having a dismal campaign under Pochettino and are 10th in the Premier League standings with just 19 points from 15 games.
Meanwhile, Everton are just one point and a place away from the relegation zone after receiving a 10-point deduction for breaching the league's financial rules. The Toffees would have been as high as the 10th place if not for the points deduction.
Lawrenson believes Chelsea and Everton will play out a draw at Goodison Park this weekend. While giving his predictions for the upcoming league fixtures, the pundit told Paddy Power:
"Chelsea played four at the back against Manchester United which they don’t normally do. That just tells you that Mauricio Pochettino’s not convinced about them defensively but I think they’ll probably go back to a three. It will be like an air raid, given Everton’s strengths. I fancy a draw. Everton 1-1 Chelsea."
Chelsea's recent head-to-head record against Everton may be a worrying statistic for the Stamford Bridge faithful, especially with the club's struggles this season. The Blues have won three and lost four matches in their last 10 Premier League encounters with the Merseyside club.
"We need to assess" - Mauricio Pochettino provides injury update on Chelsea star
Mauricio Pochettino has offered an update on Christopher Nkunku's fitness ahead of the Everton clash. The Blues signed the French winger from RB Leipzig in the summer transfer window for a reported fee of £52 million.
Nkunku is yet to feature for the west London outfit after sustaining a serious knee injury in pre-season that rendered him sidelined up to this point in the season.
While Nkunku is making progress, Pochettino does not see the Frenchman returning to action this weekend. The Argentine insists that Nkunku's recovery must not be rushed and needs to be assessed daily.
The former Tottenham Hotspur manager said in a pre-match press conference (via football.london):
"Still assessing day by day, see tomorrow. I don't believe that he will be involved but we need to assess day by day."
Chelsea have thus far scored 26 Premier League goals this season.