Steve Round: Wigan defeat has made us stronger

But Round is confident that this could be the ideal time to take on Phil Scolari's side given the way Everton have moved on from the loss to Wigan.

"You could say the Wigan defeat was a kick up the backside," said Round.

"We'd had a good run and we went there feeling confident. It was a performance that none of us expected.

"We knew we had to move forward from it.

"Now the whole team's defending well, the whole team's attacking well.

"We're very pleased with the way the team have come through it."

Victory at City was all the convincing Round needed of how much improvement Everton have made over the past few weeks.

They may have had to wait until injury time for Tim Cahill's winner but he is convinced that was a game they would not have won in the difficult early days of the campaign.

Round said: "We looked back to our best against Manchester City.

"Early on in the season we made a few individual errors. We were not quite ready and the new signings had not slotted in."

Round has had first-hand experience of the formidable calibre of tonight's opponents.

The 38-year-old was a coach under Steve McLaren at Middlesbrough then worked with him in the England set-up.

Working closely in that environment with John Terry and Frank Lampard has opened his eyes to the dedication and commitment that has underpinned their success at Stamford Bridge.

"Frank Lampard is an exceptional player," said Round. "I did little bits of extra work with Frank because he always wanted to go the extra mile.

"He's very professional - he's the role model for every young player.

"He has this great work ethic and always wants to be as good as he can be.

"John Terry is a real leader. A really good guy. He was very coachable and wanted to learn.

"He wanted to listen and wanted to put the time and the effort in.

"I got on well with both of them."

Meanwhile, Cahill has underlined the size of the task facing a depleted Everton against a side hoping to knock Liverpool off the top of the table.

At Eastlands, the Australian was employed as a lone striker because all the senior forwards were injured.

Long-term absentees Yakubu and James Vaughan were joined on the sidelines by Louis Saha (hamstring) and Victor Anichebe (back and hamstring).

Both were assessed at the weekend and still have a chance of being fit tonight, but Cahill is preparing to lead the line once again.

And he is confident Everton can overcome adversity again - although this time settling for a point could be the extent of their ambitions.

"Even a draw against Chelsea would be a massive result. We have seen against Manchester United getting a draw at home, what a big result that was for us.

"Playing against a big team gives us a massive lift. I feel we really rise to the occasion of playing against one of the best teams in the world and getting a chance to pit your wits against them.

"I feel that that is the good thing about this team is. We are not scared and it's exciting. In training, we work on trying to break down a team like this and it will be about what happens on the day."