Everton v Chelsea: Premier League – live! | Football

Barkley is heavily booed as his name is read out on the public address system. Kick-off is almost upon us.

The teams are in the tunnel at Goodison. A warm embrace between Brazilian compatriots Richarlison and David Luiz, while Lucas Digne and Yerry Mina have big hugs for Antonio Rüdiger. The whistling Z-Cars theme tune is imminent …

What kind of reception will Barkley get? Well, in the warmup at Goodison Park, Everton fans are jeering every time he misses the target in shooting practice and Chelsea supporters celebrating each one that ends up in the back of the net. Lovely stuff. Barkley is back in the Chelsea midfield, alongside Jorginho and N’Golo Kanté.

Another talking point has been Jordan Pickford’s erratic form. But Marco Silva been unwavering in his support for the Everton and England goalkeeper, who struggled against Newcastle last weekend. “What I want in Jordan is to keep working in the same way with the same desire, improving what we have to improve with him, with more emotional balance in some moments if he can,” Silva said. “We as a team have to be different also. If you look at the goals we conceded we must do different in that moment.”

Relegated to the bench despite bagging a fine hat-trick in midweek, Giroud has every right to feel aggrieved. Giroud has played only 56 minutes of Premier League football this calendar year and has not started in the top-flight since December. “I’m a competitor and I want to play every single game and to be happy on the pitch,” he said. “I have been through a lot of tough moments in my career. I just want to enjoy playing my football after winning the World Cup last summer. I want to take maximum pleasure on the pitch. That’s why when I play I try to enjoy the game as much as I can.”

Team news news: Ross Barkley starts on his return to Goodison Park as Maurizio Sarri makes seven changes from Chelsea’s demolition job in Kyiv in midweek, leaving Olivier Giroud and Willian presumably miffed as they have to make do with a spot on the substitutes bench alongside Callum Hudson-Odoi. Everton, meanwhile, tweak things with Coleman in for Jonjoe Kenny and Yerry Mina makes his first league start since 29 December in place of Kurt Zouma, who is ineligible to face his parent club.

Everton (4-2-3-1): Pickford; Coleman, Keane, Mina, Digne; Andre Gomes, Gueye; Richarlison, Sigurdsson, Bernard; Calvert-Lewin

Subs: Stekelenburg, Baines, Davies, Schneiderlin, Walcott, Lookman, Tosun

Chelsea (4-3-3): Kepa; Azpilicueta, David Luiz, Rüdiger, Alonso; Jorginho, Kanté, Barkley; Pedro, Higuaín, Hazard

Subs: Caballero, Christensen, Kovacic, Loftus-Cheek, Hudson-Odoi, Willian, Giroud

Referee: Anthony Taylor

Chelsea may be unbeaten in seven games but the task at hand is not getting any easier. A return to the Champions League is at the forefront of hearts and minds and, while success in the Europa League may help them reach their desired destination, victory over Everton will foster further optimism. Maurizio Sarri’s side have been scoring goals for fun of late, funnelling in eight against Dynamo Kiev across 180 minutes and, if they can find their shooting boots again, they may well finish the day in the top-four berth they so crave. Chelsea would have to run riot – Arsenal have a superior goal difference – but it is not impossible, especially with Eden Hazard, in irresistible form of late, set to return to the starting lineup after a rest in midweek. Gonzalo Higuaín could also be back after illness, though Olivier Giroud was superb in Ukraine. Theo Walcott, who turned 30 on Friday, and Séamus Coleman could both start for the hosts, who start the day in 12th, behind Bournemouth. Everton seemed to have remedied their own problems in the Merseyside derby but promptly squandered a two-goal lead at Newcastle to leave Silva back at square one; they have now lost four of their last six league games. “In my opinion, Everton, outside the top six, are the best team in the Premier League in terms of technical quality,” Sarri said, but Everton need to show it.

Kick-off: 4.30pm (GMT)