Everton and Chelsea had very contrasting seasons last time out and they get their 2022/23 campaign underway at Goodison Park on Saturday (5.30pm; TV: Live on Sky Sports). In most years, EFC at home to CFC should represent a tight and entertaining fixture but the Toffees were poor last term, narrowly missing out on relegation.
Chelsea finished in third in the EPL but it was a difficult campaign amidst questions surrounding their ownership. Let’s see what the bookies make of it before deciding on this preview’s betting tips.
Chelsea are favourites to take the points with most United Kingdom bookmakers going in at odds of 4/6 for the away win. The draw is listed at best industry odds of 3/1 while victory for Everton is further back at 9/2.
When the teams met at Goodison Park last season, Everton secured a vital win in their battle to beat the drop. The game was played at the start of May and a single Richarlison goal was enough to separate the teams.
That was typical of the Toffees run in. Frank Lampard’s men also beat Manchester United in the latter stages and they had an ability to lift their game against the bigger sides. Chelsea could also slip to unlikely defeats at times.
Richarlison may have gone but the corresponding result from last season tells us that we shouldn’t write off the outside bets here.
One of the biggest deals of the summer transfer window saw Raheem Sterling cross to Chelsea from Manchester City. The England winger will be an important player for the Blues in front of goal and he is available at best industry odds of 7/1 to open the scoring. There are joint favourites in the first goalscorer betting with the Chelsea pair of Michy Batshuayi and Kai Havertz both quoted at a top price of 13/2. The first Everton representative in this market is Dominic Calvert-Lewin who is quoted at a best of 8/1.
In terms of some longer prices from behind the strikers, Mason Mount was Chelsea’s top scorer in the league last season. The midfielder is dangerous from set pieces and he can also be claimed at those best odds of 8/1.
Away from the player markets, Both Teams to Score is on offer for Saturday’s contest at a top price of 19/20. If you want to take the ‘no’ option on BTTS, this remains at odds on figures with a number of outlets quoting 10/11.
Moving across to the Total Goals section and a stake Over the 2.5 line will currently return a general 10/11. By taking that one step higher, there are best odds of 12/5 available for Over 3.5 goals. The possible alternative for those who think it will be a low scoring evening will be to bet Under 2.5 goals at 3/4 in many places.
That leaves us to round off with some correct score suggestions and, those who expect Chelsea to justify the bookies’ faith can get odds of 13/2 on a 2-0 away win. A 2-1 victory in favour of Everton can be found at 18/1 while that same figure is available for the 2-2 draw.
Our EPL Match Preview’s EFC vs CFC Betting Tips Verdict
It is tough to see where the goals are coming from in either camp. Last season, Chelsea’s two main strikers struggled in front of the net. Romelu Lukaku has since moved out on loan and a similar fate may yet await the misfiring Timo Werner. The arrival of Raheem Sterling will help but the Blues look to be in dire need of a productive number nine.
For Everton, Richarlison wasn’t exactly prolific but he scored important goals at times and he will be missed. The Toffees are also tipped to go back into the transfer market, but the focus for scoring goals falls firmly on Dominic Calvert-Lewin for now.
Because of this, we may well see a low-scoring 90 minutes at Goodison Park on Saturday. Goal support can come from midfield but neither team looks to have a real cutting edge.
Chelsea should take the points but we’ll start by picking Under 2.5 goals. It looks like a sound bet although we would have liked it to have crept above evens. To balance that out, odds of 11/5 on a Raheem Sterling goal in 90 minutes look generous.
The new arrival at Stamford Bridge contributes more than his share of goals from behind the main strikers and he’ll also carry the scoring responsibility until Chelsea solve their striking issues. Chelsea should win the game. It might not be entertaining but it will hopefully be a profitable 90 minutes to kick off the new season. So these are the betting tips for this EFC vs CFC big-match Premier League preview:
- Under 2.5 goals at a best price of 5/6 with BetVictor.
- Raheem Sterling to score at any time at biggest odds of 21/10, again with BetVictor.
Matt Harris is a football & golf writer for Just Bookies. Other sports in his portfolio of specialities include cricket. Matt has contributed to innumerable large organisations and media brands. These include: Betfair, BetVictor, USA Betting & Unibet. 