Chelsea host Everton at Stamford Bridge in a pivotal match in the race for a top four finish.

With the Toffees resurgent since Carlo Ancelotti’s arrival, the gap is now just eight points, meaning an intriguing end to the season.

Ancelotti will be in the dugout at his former club after escaping a ban following the confrontation with referee Chris Kavanagh after the 2-2 draw last weekend against Manchester United.

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Chelsea continue to search for continuity and consistency despite dumping Liverpool out of the FA Cup midweek, with Lampard’s side losing to Manchester United and Bayern Munich either side of a big win over Tottenham in recent weeks.

Here are the predicted line-ups for the game and team news for both sides:

When is it?

The game will kick-off at 2pm on Sunday 8 March at Stamford Bridge.

How can I watch it?

You can watch the game live on Sky Sports Premier League and Main Event, coverage starts on the former at 1pm, while Main Event will switch to coverage from 2pm.

You can get a live stream through your Sky Go app if you’re a Sky Sports subscriber, or alternatively with NowTV, who offer a variety of passes to tune into all the sports channels offered by Sky.

Team news and predicted line-ups

Callum Hudson-Odoi (hamstring), Tammy Abraham (ankle) and Mateo Kovacic (Achilles) are all out injured here, while N’Golo Kante will almost certainly join them on the sidelines, despite a lack of an update from Lampard. Jorginho is suspended and Willian (Achilles) is a doubt. This game will come too soon for Christian Pulisic too, despite playing in a behind-closed-doors friendly this weekn at Cobham. 

Chelsea predicted XI: Caballero; Azpilicueta, Christensen, Rudiger; James, Barkley, Gilmour, Alonso; Pedro, Mount; Giroud

Jean-Philippe Gbamin (thigh), Morgan Schneiderlin (knee) and Seamus Coleman (thigh) are all out here. Lucas Digne (calf) is back, but Leighton Baines impressed in his absence, so the Frenchman may be forced to settle for a place on the bench. 

Everton predicted XI: Pickford; Sidibe, Mina, Holgate, Baines; Walcott, Delph, Gomes, Sigurdsson; Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison

Odds

Chelsea 17/20

Draw 14/5 

Everton 3/1

Prediction: This is a tough one to predict given Everton’s clear potential to score away from home with Dominic Calvert-Lewin in great form. The Blues should be confident, but the injuries are beginning to add up and it will be a big test of Billy Gilmour to start his first Premier League game at 18 years of age. If he can stand up to the test, like he did against Liverpool, then the Blues should have enough control to build their attacks from and grind out a win in what could prove to be a high-scoring affair. We’ll go for a 3-2 home win.

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