The Premier League has published its Matchweek 7 predicted line-ups, and the Everton and Chelsea fixture is now being read through that prism: who is fit, who is not, and who might still make a late move into the starting XI. Ross Barkley felt “some pain” in midweek and is due to be checked before the match, but Joao Gomes could take his place anyway.
That is why the search around Everton F.C. vs Chelsea F.C. standings is being driven less by the table itself and more by team news. Ben Bloom’s preview pulls together selection clues across the league at the point where managers start making final calls, and this one carries the usual mix of uncertainty, recovery work and changes forced by fitness rather than form.
For Everton and Chelsea, the useful detail is not a finished line-up but the shape of the decision. Barkley’s fitness is the immediate question, yet the cover in behind matters just as much. Joao Gomes remains in the frame whether Barkley is cleared or not, which means the balance of the side can change without the headline name necessarily being available. That is the sort of small shift that turns a preview into a clue.
Elsewhere in the Matchweek 7 round-up, the same pattern repeats. Matthias Jaissle said Bazoumana Toure will “hopefully” be fit, while Anthony Elanga, Jacob Ramsey and Tino Livramento remained out. Joelinton was described as closer to a start than Dan Burn as both worked back towards full fitness, and Amar Dedic could return at right-back. William Osula, back from injury against Coventry, could also challenge for a place in attack.
There are similar calls all over the piece. Alex Scott’s injury is not as bad as first feared, but he will still miss the next couple of weeks. Justin Kluivert and Amine Adli came off the bench against Fenerbahce and should get more minutes, while Ben Gannon-Doak has made a case for his first Premier League start. Wilson Isidor did not travel for Thursday’s European fixture and is being assessed day by day, even as Brian Brobbey is said to be ready. Thomas Meunier is ruled out, Habib Diarra should be fit for his first minutes since August, and Pascal Struijk’s ban has been overturned.
That still leaves the most fragile positions unresolved. Lewis Dunk could step in for Struijk because of a hamstring issue, Jack Hinshelwood may only make the bench after starting in Kaunas in midweek, and Yankuba Minteh and Mats Wieffer are closer to fitness but not yet available. Pierre Sage was blunt about the uncertainty around Dean Henderson, saying “I don't know” whether he will be fit to return in goal, and adding “it's the same” for Jean-Philippe Mateta, Ben Chilwell and Takehiro Tomiyasu. Ismaila Sarr, after 62 minutes on Thursday, may find consecutive starts too soon after injury.
So the immediate answer is not a settled Everton or Chelsea team sheet. It is a moving selection picture heading into the weekend, with Barkley under assessment and Gomes waiting in the wings. The standings may draw the clicks, but the real story here is whether the late fitness checks alter who actually walks out in Matchweek 7.
