Donovan: Not giving an inch

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Donovan: Everton fear no one

Everton midfielder Landon Donovan insists that the Toffees have what it takes to mix it up with the best in the Premier League.

Financial strife has meant that Everton have been unable to complete any big-money signings in recent times, with David Moyes forced to do what he can with a limited squad.

While the Toffees have often punched above their weight, the current season has been one of mixed fortunes, with the club currently occupying 11th spot on the Premier League table.

Despite this, the men from Goodison Park have still managed to put in some strong showings, including a 1-0 win over Manchester City at the end of January.

Donovan is hopeful that Everton can add the scalp of Chelsea to their collection when the two teams meet on Saturday, and the American insists that the team feel no fear heading into the clash.

“Since the day I got here there has always been the belief this team can compete with any team in the Premier League,” Donovan told BBC Radio Merseyside.

“When I was here last time we beat Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City and should have drawn at Tottenham - so there is no fear in this club.

“We have a lot of respect for Chelsea, they are one of the best teams in the world, but we feel at Goodison we have a chance and we are going to go for it.

“They’ve come off an interesting result against Manchester United so it will be an interesting game to see how they respond to that.

“We feel good in how we’re playing, we like how we’re playing right now and our form has been pretty good so it makes for a really good match-up.”

The 29-year-old is currently enjoying his second loan spell on Merseyside and he reveals the experience just gets better and better.

“Last time I came over it was easy. I’m not sure why, but this time it was even easier,” he explained.

“I got here just before New Year and I was able to travel with the team to the West Brom game and just be around the guys and take it all in again.

“That was a big boost going into the Bolton game and I felt really comfortable.

“In the early part, when things don’t go your way, it’s tough. You kind of live and die by the results sometimes.

“In the last couple of weeks we’ve played a lot better and we’ve got some really important results, which has been good for everyone.”