The important games come thick and fast but there's still time to look at the odd championship conundrum plus a few Chelsea v Everton facts. Making that possible are club historian Rick Glanvill and club statistician Paul Dutton.


There is a slight dilemma in defeating Everton. It is that while maintaining Chelsea's challenge for the Premier League - made less likely by Emile Heskey's late heartbreaker two days ago - it would also serve to bolster Liverpool's settlement of third place.

That would enable Rafael Benitez to rest more of his key players ahead of our Champions League semi-final meetings while putting the pressure on Avram Grant to field his key players in every game.

David Moyes, who has never beaten a Chelsea team as manager, chose to suggest in his pre-match press conference that this game was in fact not just ill-timed (mostly, let's not forget, for supporters) in terms of day of the week, but in terms of competition.

He claimed that Manchester United were already a shoo-in for the title and the Red side of Merseyside had one and a half feet in the final Champions League berth. Everton are currently five points behind their rivals.

Maybe that was a bluff and the Toffees will come out flying out of their wraps to catch the Blues unawares. Moyes also claimed that Mikel Arteta and Leon Osman were unlikely to recover from their respective stomach and hamstring injuries. If that is the case, with Tim Cahill also ruled out long-term, Everton will have been stripped of their most influential players.

The Wigan experience, where moderate opposition caused considerable damage to a weakened, but still strong Chelsea team, was a warning that there are no pushovers in the Premier League now, even at this end of the season (outside of N17, that is).

Chelsea can draw strength from the recent visit here in the League Cup. The Blues arrived at Goodison back in January defending a 2-1 lead from the first of the semi-final. The lead had been gained at the last by a fantastic last-minute leap by Shaun Wright-Phillips over Joleon Lescott that forced the impressive defender into an own goal.

The Blues had let in just two goals in the previous ten away games - Barnsley, Spurs and Fenerbahçe were still to happen - and won 1-0 on the evening with an expert finish from Joe Cole from Florent Malouda's incisive through ball.

With Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack and Didier Drogba not even on the bench but with Alex, Ricardo Carvalho and Claude Makelele in imperious form, Chelsea expertly contained the home side and the travelling fans were the only ones audible for much of the second half.

Last season, of course, this fixture produced a thrilling seesaw game settled by Drogba's stunning control, turn and volley from 30 yards. Ballack and Lampard had scored the other two.

Despite the free tickets and travel, it will take a hardy soul to make Wigan on Monday and Everton on Thursday, especially when one train doesn't dock in London until 04.37. Respect to those who will find the time to see it through.

On the positive side, the team will have the best part of five days to recover and prepare for Tuesday's exertions on the other side of Stanley Park.

If Chelsea do achieve the desired result it will increase the pressure on United, who play two days later on Saturday evening at Ewood Park, where Blackburn have dished out three beatings and three draws to Alex Ferguson's men among their last seven league visits. United then travel to Spain to face Barcelona on Wednesday before what may still be a showdown meeting at the Bridge next weekend.


EVERTON V CHELSEA - Paul Dutton with his first Thursday set of facts and figures.

Chelsea are looking to extend our unbeaten record against Everton to 20 games and ninth at Goodison Park. Our last defeat was in November 2000 (1-2) at Goodison Park with a side containing Winston Bogarde and Slavisa Jokanovic. Kevin Campbell scored the winner three minutes after Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink was sent off. Sam Dalla Bona and Danny Cadamarteri had scored either side of half time. Everton were one place higher than Chelsea in 12th place. The full unbeaten record is played 19, won 13, drawn 6, lost 0, goals scored 36, and goals conceded 12.

The Toffees have only conceded six Premier League goals in 14 matches since the turn of the year.

They have won four and drawn two since their last home league defeat against Arsenal in December.

Twenty per cent of the Toffee's goals have been scored in the last five minutes.

Chelsea are on the longest current unbeaten run in the Premier League of 17 matches since the defeat at the Emirates in December.

There has been 11 red cards in Chelsea Everton encounters in the last 12 years and 17 between the sides since October 1985.

Chelsea have the best away record in the Premier League with 36 points from 17 games having won at Reading, Bolton, Middlesbrough, Wigan, Derby, Blackburn, Fulham, Birmingham, West Ham, Sunderland and Man City, drawn at Liverpool, Portsmouth and Tottenham and lost at Arsenal, Aston Villa and Man Utd.

Everton's league record at Goodison Park this season is won 10 (Wigan 2-1, Middlesbrough 2-0, Birmingham 3-1, Sunderland 7-1, Fulham 3-0, Bolton 2-0, Man City 1-0, Reading 1-0, Portsmouth 3-1, Derby 1-0), drawn three (Blackburn 1-1, Tottenham 0-0, West Ham 1-1) and lost three (Man Utd 0-1, Liverpool 1-2, Arsenal 1-4).

Our away Premier League record at Goodison Park in full is as follows:
1992/93 Chelsea 1-0
1993/94 Everton won 4-2
1994/95 Drew 3-3
1995/96 Drew 1-1
1996/97 Chelsea won 2-1
1997/98 Everton won 3-1
1998/99 Drew 0-0
1999/00 Drew 1-1
2000/01 Everton won 2-1
2001/02 Drew 0-0
2002/03 Chelsea won 3-1
2003/04 Chelsea won 1-0
2004/05 Chelsea won 1-0
2005/06 Drew 1-1
2006/07 Chelsea won 3-2

We have been beaten five times (Man Utd away, Arsenal away, Tottenham at Wembley, Barnsley away and Fenerbahçe away) in 47 games in all competitions under Avram Grant three of which have come in the last 13.

Chelsea have played 55 games in all competitions winning 35, drawing 14 and losing six. We have scored 95 goals, conceded 38 and have kept 30 clean sheets. We have failed to score on 10 occasions.

Everton's last six games
Mar 12 Fiorentina (UEFA Cup h) W 2-0
Mar 16 Fulham (a) L 0-1
Mar 22 West Ham (h) D 1-1
Mar 30 Liverpool (a) L 0-1
Apr 6 Derby (h) W 1-0
Apr 12 Birmingham (a) D 1-1

Everton have played 50 games in all competitions this season. They have won 29, lost 13 and drawn eight scoring 80 goals, conceding 42, have kept 20 clean sheets and have failed to score on 11 occasions.

Joleon Lescott has played in all 50 of Everton's competitive matches this term.

On Saturday, Mauro Zarate's late free-kick rescued a point for relegation-threatened Birmingham and dented Everton's hopes of finishing fourth. Joleon Lescott had opened the scoring five minutes earlier. Team 4-4-2: Howard; Hibbert, Jagielka, Lescott, Baines; Pienaar (Anichebe 64), Neville (c), Carsley, Fernandes; Johnson, Yakubu (Gravesen 89).

Premier League scorers:
Everton (50): Yakubu 13, Cahill 7, Lescott 7, Johnson 6, Osman 4, McFadden (now Birmingham) 2, Pienaar 2, Anichebe 1, Arteta 1, Carsley 1, Jagielka 1, Neville 1, Stubbs 1, Vaughan 1, own goals 2 (Given, Newcastle, Hyypia, Liverpool).
Chelsea (59): Lampard 10 (3 pens), Drogba 8, J Cole 7, Kalou 7, Essien 5, Ballack 4 (1 pen), Shevchenko 4 (1 pen), Alex 2, Belletti 2, Pizarro 2, Wright-Phillips 2, Anelka 1, Carvalho 1, A Cole 1, Malouda 1, Terry 1, own goal 1 (Dunne, Man City).

Yakubu is Everton's leading scorer in all competitions with 19. Frank Lampard heads Chelsea's scoring chart with 18 and is looking to achieve 20 goals for the third successive season.

In the reverse fixture at Stamford Bridge in November, Didier Drogba headed opener on 70 minutes was cancelled out by a stoppage time overhead kick by Tim Cahill.

Top of the Premier League after 34 games
Man Utd 80 pts (+54)
Chelsea 75 pts (+35)
Arsenal 71 pts (+35)
Liverpool 66 pts (+34)
Everton 61 pts (+22)
Portsmouth 57 pts (+14)

Remaining fixtures
Thur Apr 17
Everton v Chelsea (8pm)
Sat Apr 19
Blackburn v Man Utd (5.15pm)
Sat Apr 26
Chelsea v Man Utd (12.45pm)
Sat May 3
Man Utd v West Ham (12.45pm)
Mon May 5
Newcastle v Chelsea (4pm)
Sun May 11
Chelsea v Bolton (3pm)
Wigan v Man Utd (3pm)

If selected, Joe Cole will make his 50th appearance this season. He will be the first player to do so in 2007/08.

John Mikel Obi's next start will be his 50th for the Blues.

There are no suspensions on either side.

Chelsea are the only Premier League club David Moyes has yet to defeat as a manager. In 18 matches, including one with Preston, he has drawn five and lost 13.

Everton have never won the Premier League but have won the old First Division nine times the last occasion being in 1987. Their last piece of silverware was the FA Cup in 1995 when defeated beat Man Utd 1-0 at Wembley. Joe Royle, in his first season as Everton manager, remains the last Englishman to win it.

The referee is Martin Atkinson, who this season has handled our 0-0 draw at home to Fulham and the 2-0 League Cup win over Liverpool.

Chelsea's overall record against Everton in all competitions is: played 153, won 59, drawn 46, lost 48.

Head-to-head in the league at Goodison Park: played 68, won 14, drawn 21, lost 33.

LAST SEASON'S CORRESPONDING GAME
Everton 2 Chelsea 3
Premiership, Sunday December 17th 2006 at Goodison Park.
Everton (4-1-2-1-2): Howard; Neville (c),Yobo, Stubbs, Lescott; Carsley (Beattie 90); Davies, Arteta; Osman; Johnson, Anichebe (McFadden 90).
Manager David Moyes
Scorers Arteta (37 pen), Yobo (63)
Booked Neville
Chelsea (4-1-2-1-2): Hilário; Gérémi (Kalou h/t), Boulahrouz (Bridge 72), Carvalho, A Cole; Makelele; Essien, Lampard (c); Ballack; Drogba, Robben (Shevchenko 72).
Manager Jose Mourinho
Scorers Ballack (48), Lampard (80), Drogba (86)
Booked Carvalho
Referee Mark Halsey
Crowd 33,970.