After midweek disappointment in Manchester, the long trip to Merseyside on Sunday provides the Blues with an opportunity to get back to winnings ways. That will not be a simple task against a highly-motivated Everton side.

The Toffees have been beaten just once in their past six Premier League fixtures. That they sit just outside of the relegation places is because of the ten-point deduction handed down at the start of the month.

‘It’s going to be tough but they were doing a fantastic season until that [a points deduction] happened,' said Pochettino during his pre-match press conference. 'I know very well Sean Dyche and I’ve always admired him for what he achieved with Burnley.

'It’s going to be tough because their feeling is that they’ve been treated unfairly. When you feel like this, you feel freedom, like you have nothing to lose. But it's not only that, they have good players and Sean is doing a great job.

'They are going to be very motivated to face us. But every game in the Premier League is different and we need to be ready to compete better than we competed in the last game.’

Several players remain absent due to injury. Whether Malo Gusto and Christopher Nkunku, who is yet to make his Chelsea debut, are among them will be decided tomorrow (Saturday).

‘Christopher we are still assessing day by day,' said Pochettino. 'We will see tomorrow. I don’t believe that he will be involved [on Sunday] but we need to assess. We will see also if Malo Gusto can be available but apart from that, no news [on players returning].’  

There will be a welcome return to the squad for Conor Gallagher. The midfielder missed the 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford on Wednesday evening due to suspension but was back involved in today's session.

Gallagher's suspension came after his dismissal against Brighton; a game that Chelsea won 3-2 despite playing more than an hour with ten men. Pochettino, however, felt the exertions of that performance impacted the Blues in midweek against Manchester United.

Tiredness, especially at this stage of a campaign, is common. Yet it is not something Axel Disasi is prepared to use as the reason for our disappointing display at Old Trafford.

‘I don’t like to speak about fatigue because when you are on the pitch you have to give everything,' he explained.

'Everyone knows against Brighton we played one half with a player less. But the game against Manchester United was another game. It can’t be on the mind. We have to keep pushing even if we are tired. That’s it.’

It wasn't just those in contention to feature at Goodison who were out on the training pitches today.

Trevoh Chalobah, who has yet to play this season due to injury, and Ben Chilwell were also pictured. The duo continued their respective rehabilitation programmes on the grass this morning.