Andre Gomes could make a return to the starting lineup.
Midfield:
Central defensive midfielder: Allan
Allan is showing his mettle to the Premier League. For me, he has been the best Everton signing, probably even more than James Rodriguez. The Brazilian’s presence in front of the defence has minimized the problems at the back which arose due to the leaky defence.
An enforcer, he can be a real headache for the opposition attack to contend with. Allan has also shown his attacking side of the game in the last couple of games, venturing forward with those press breaking runs. His A-game is necessary if Everton are to stop Chelsea’s blazing attack.
Central midfielder: Abdoulaye Doucoure
Doucoure is taking one step at a time. I still feel he has a lot to give to this Everton side and is yet to unlock himself in the royal blue shirt. The powerful, box-to-box midfielder has done well but still makes those silly mistakes, giving the possession away, overcooking a pass or simply not being in the right position.
He has improved with time and will continue to do so. A solid performance against the Londoners will act as a massive confidence injection in the Frenchman. Usually, he is often occupied with defensive work on the right flank, covering for Rodriguez but the Colombian’s absence may allow Doucoure to raid forward and add an extra outlet in the attack.
Central midfielder: Andre Gomes
Gomes’ last week’s outing against Burnley as a substitute was reasonable. We know that he has loads of talent and possesses exceptional technical skills that can aid the Toffees but somehow he cannot unleash himself completely.
With Rodriguez absent, Gomes will have to take the responsibility of creating goal scoring chances in his own hands. Of course, there’ll be Richarlison, Iwobi and others to share some load but the Portuguese will have to take the initiative.