Benitez predicts difficult away day

Chelsea manager Rafael Benitez says his players must be ready for a tough encounter against direct rivals Everton on Saturday.

Everton are fifth on the English Premier League table, just two points behind third-placed Chelsea, after impressing in the first half of 2012/13.

For Benitez, it will be a first trip back to Goodison Park since his time in charge of Everton’s Merseyside rivals Liverpool, and the Spaniard knows all about the threat posed by David Moyes’ outfit.

“I think they are doing a good job,” he said.

“They are doing well. They have less resources than other teams and are still competing.

“They are near the top of the table so credit to them. It is a good team and a tough game for sure. We have to be ready.

“For us, we have to be ready physically as well as mentally for the game.

“They have been doing well in the past year and we know that Goodison is a difficult place to go to.”

For Everton, Champions League qualification appears within their reach for the first time since 2004/05, but Moyes is under no illusion about the challenge his team face to book a spot in UEFA’s elite club competition.

“I get asked the question (about Europe) a lot and it’s going to be tough, so if anybody thinks that we’re a shoo in there to do it, I’m telling you it’s going to be a long hard season,” he said.

“We’ve got a lot of difficult away games to come in the second half of the season.”