Hello and welcome to Goodison Park coverage as Everton host Chelsea.
Frank Lampard faces tonight’s game without a recognized centre-forward after Dominic Calvert-Lewin was ruled out for six weeks with a knee injury.
Salomon Rondon is suspended for the visit of Lampard’s former club, while Richarlison has been sold to Tottenham.
Everton avoided relegation to the Championship on the penultimate matchday of last season after coming from two goals down to win at Crystal Palace.
Dwight McNeil, James Tarkowski and Ruben Vinagre have strengthened Everton’s squad for the new campaign.
But Lampard, who took over from the sacked Rafael Benítez in January, has warned his side must improve to avoid another relegation.
“We have to work on all sides of our game to make sure we don’t find ourselves in a situation like last season,” said the 44-year-old.
“It’s nice to have a relatively clean slate. I never felt we had that in my time at the club and that’s important because hopefully it will give us a fresh idea and a sense of confidence.
“We’re all level, whereas at times last year we felt like we were chasing, especially if you’re five points from safety. That’s something we’ve overcome and that’s a testament to the group of players we’ve got, the club and the fans.
“There are still things I want us to do going forward to try to get us to play more the way I want us to play, to be more consistent in what we can deliver.
“This will be a mix of work on the training ground and players we hope to strengthen the squad with.
“We are working on and off the pitch and trying to improve the club in every way we can. There are a lot of good people at the club but we have to get the culture right and move forward. We have to keep that unified feeling. We have.”
Meanwhile, Thomas Tuchel was not interested in scoring any goals for Chelsea in the new season, saying they were still a club in transition following his takeover, led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.
“I don’t want to reduce our ambitions. But I don’t want to put pressure on us,” Tuchel said.
“We are a club still in transition. A team still in transition. But at the same time, I don’t want to limit ourselves from the beginning and say what is possible.”