Everton

Chelsea v Everton Betting Tip & Odds: Can see a Chelsea win here. Matches between the two sides at the Bridge have generally been dull, because it has been a quagmire in midfield, with neither team going anyway. However, Chelsea are playing a wider game, largely thanks to Juan Mata and the pace of Daniel Sturridge. While the stats suggest heavily that a draw is worth looking at (see the head to head stats below), there is a different feel about the match this season. There is no reason why this game shouldn’t take on a difference complex and Chelsea win comfortably. Chelsea -1.5 Asian Handicap for Evens at Paddy Power.

Chelsea to win: 3/8 at Unibet
Draw: 4/1 at SkyBet
Everton to win: 10/1 at Totesport

EPL Match Preview: There is a big opportunity for Chelsea to perhaps close the gap on Manchester United this weekend, as the Red Devils head to Anfield, while Chelsea stay at Stamford Bridge. A win for Chelsea and defeat for United would leave them both level on points, and would in some way, make up for Chelsea’s lost three points against United earlier in the season. So a big chance which Chelsea really need to step up and take, but they have struggled recently to finish the stubborn Everton off at Stamford Bridge. David Moyes’ cash strapped Everton need to pick themselves up after back to back defeats, including a demoralising home defeat in the Merseyside derby before the International break. Can the Toffees respond and cause Chelsea some home headaches again?

Chelsea Form: The Blues picked themselves up well after defeat by Manchester united on September 18th. Since then, they have hit nine goals in two matches, and have conceded just two. Granted it was wins against Swansea and Bolton, teams which a title contending team should be beating, but it looks as if they have found their goal scoring touch a little. For all his critics this season, and time spent on the bench, Frank Lampard is Chelsea’s top scorer with four goals so far (from just five shots!), but young Daniel Sturridge is perhaps looking the brightest spark up front for the Blues, netting three times so far since having been given a chance. That is just one goal less than Torres, Anelka and Drogba have combined for this season. Fernando Torres though has been looking as if he is getting back to his best, and one of the key factors in all of this has been the arrival of Spaniard Juan Mata (who scored for Spain in the week). The youngster has been creating so much with little through balls and telling crosses and runs, he is going to be an important part of Chelsea’s successes this season. The Blues will be happy to get all of their international players back with out any injuries, as they look to defend a 100% home record this season, in Chelsea v Everton betting. That is three wins from three at home in the league so far for Chelsea, having scored nine goals and conceded three. Chelsea have been a bit prone to slow starts this season, only opening the scoring in 57% of their matches. But if the form of their last two matches is anything to go by, they may just finally be settling down under Andre Villas Boas and hitting their stride. Most of Chelsea’s goals have come in the final fifteen minutes bracket of matches, but they have actually spread their scoring quite well, looking dangerous in the opening half hour and just after the break. It is a little surprising that Chelsea’s defensive record is nothing more than average at the moment, which is on par with the likes of Everton, Sunderland, Liverpool and Stoke. They certainly are not as tight at the back as they have been, and that is because they do lack a bit of pace back there. Chelsea are playing with more width this season and that could be the key to them breaking down Everton. Didier Drogba has netted seven goals in nine Premier League matches for Chelsea against Everton. Worth an Anytime Scorer bet for Evens at Bet365.

Everton Form: Things have just started to go a little bit sour for Everton, losing back to back games against Manchester City and Liverpool. That means that the Toffees have lost 50% of their league matches this season, which doesn’t make great ready for their fans. Everton have only two away matches under their belt, winning one and losing one this year, but they have only managed to find the net once. Goal scoring is always going to be an issue with Everton, and with Tim Cahill looking a doubt for the match, then you don’t see Everton getting more than one break in the match. There has been just six league goals in six matches for Everton now, and three of them have come in the last fifteen minutes of matches. Interestingly enough, Everton, who are known for their resilience and meanness in defence, have conceded six of their eight goals in the last half hour of matches. So they are getting ground down much easier before and if Chelsea get out to an early lead, it is going to be hard for the Toffees to respond. Luis Saha will be the focal point up front, and he has given John Terry a few problems in the past, and a big boost for Everton as well, is that Jack Rodwell is available to play. His red card against Liverpool was rightly rescinded and so he escapes a ban, much to the relief of David Moyes. It will be interesting to see if Rodwell is hesitant about 50/50 tackles now though. Everton seem to enjoy playing Chelsea, because they just seem to know how to frustrate Chelsea. It should be much harder for it to happen this time around, because Chelsea have more width and more craft in the middle of the park, and Mata really could be the big difference.

Head to Head: Chelsea have a great home record against Everton, winning 42 matches out of 83 encounters between them at the Bridge. There has been just 14 wins for Everton but 27 draws. Chelsea average 1.82 goals per match against Everton at Stamford Bridge, while as visitors there, Everton average just 0.94 goals per match. The corresponding fixture last season produced a 1-1 draw, in which Everton really played well in the second half, looking the better of the two sides. That was one of four meetings between them last season because of an FA Cup replay, three of those matches ending in 1-1 draws, and Everton won their home match 1-0. The last four meetings between the two at Stamford Bridge in the league have all ended in draws. Six of the last nine meetings in all competitions have been draws.

Online Bookmaker Promotion: Paddy Power have a good promotion running for Chelsea v Everton betting. If Frank Lampard or Everton’s Tim Cahill score the final goal of the match, then the bookie will give lost stake refunds on First Goalscorer, last Goalscorer, Correct Score and Scorecast singles placed on the match. That gives quite a good bit of coverage on your betting for the match. Paddy Power offers a free £50 bet as a welcome bonus. The bookie will match the value of your first bet on a new account, up to the value of £50, giving you good free cash to play with.

Everton v Liverpool Betting Tip & Odds: Hard to discern much from the starts that the two Merseyside clubs have had so far this season. Everton have not been as quite as solid and tight at the back as one would have expected, while Liverpool have not secured title contending consistency. Everton outsmarted Liverpool last season, and it is all pointing to a bit of parity. The Reds have much better options up front, but do they have the craft to unlock Everton in the heat of battle? We’ll suggest they will in a narrow victory and we’ll take Luis Suarez as First Goalscorer for 5/1 at Paddy Power to split the difference, in conjunction with the bookies’ money back special below.

Everton to win: 21/10 at Totesport
Draw: 23/10 at SkyBet
Liverpool to win: 6/4 at Bet365

EPL Match Preview: Big derby day on Saturday in the Premier League on the weekend, with the top action kicking off at Goodison, with Everton v Liverpool betting topping the bill. Both sides have had indifferent starts to the season, but the expectancy levels between the two are quite a bit different. Big spending Liverpool were expected to be title challengers this season, while Everton look to solidify just a solid season again with a top half of the table finish. Just three points separate the two sides going into the derby encounter, with Liverpool ahead but having played a game more. So, aside from the passion and bragging rights of beating a neighbour, there is actually big points at stake here. Everton to avoid back to back defeats and for Liverpool to address their away form and keep touch with the two Manchester clubs.

Everton Form: Blues boss David Moyes will have been happy with the way things were going in the season up until last week. After not having the money again to splash around in the transfer market in the summer, the Toffees went down 1-0 at home to Premier League new boys QPR in their first match of the new league season. But, resilient as they always are, Everton bounced back with two wins and a draw to put them firmly in the top half of the table. However, their first real big test came last weekend when they travelled to Eastlands to face Manchester City. Everton against set out their stall to close down and try and restrict the bigger attacking threat from City, but try as they might, they crumbled in the end to a 2-0 defeat and really never looked like threatening to take all three points. Now with a big derby match against neighbours Liverpool, another dropped three points here could be a major blow for Moyes. So far out of the new season, Everton have played three at Goodison, winning one, drawing one and losing one, so there is no real form to read from that, apart from unpredictability. However, they are undefeated in their previous two home matches, but one worrying stat for Everton fans, is that they have scored five goals at home but their defence has  not been as tight as it could be, conceding four goals in their home games. That adds up to no clean sheets at Goodison so far, and in the past, Everton’s defence and stinginess at home has been their big selling point. With Mikel Arteta moving to Arsenal, Everton have lost a lot of creativity in the middle of the park, and while Moyes has brought in some replacements, but they look as if, over the course of the season again, they are going to struggle for goals. They need the experience of Louis Saha to click in up front if they are going to mix things up in the top half of the table. But this is a derby match and the score line doesn’t matter, just the result in the Merseyside match up. Everton start this match just three points behind rivals Liverpool, but with a game in hand, so a win here would be a massive shot in the eyes.

Liverpool Form: Kenny Dalglish, in contrast to David Moyes, was happily splashing the cash around over the summer and so far, they look as if they are heading in the right direction. It has not been perfect at all, and while they did attract a lot of backers in the pre season Premier League betting for the outright winner, their slight unpredictability is likely to hold them back from that. The Reds have picked up three wins out of their six matches so far, but have suffered two defeats and a draw. It is the defeats which are perhaps most indicative of just where Liverpool are at the moment. The first came away at Stoke, a 1-0 defeat in which they just couldn’t raise their game against a difficult side to produce a cutting edge. Worse was to follow a week later in a big clash at White Hart Lane, where they just couldn’t compete with the flowing attacking football that Spurs produced on the night. The London side ran out 4-0 winners, but at least Dalglish’s men bounced back with a 2-1 home win over Wolves last weekend. But we have to look at Liverpool’s away record here in this match as they head to Goodison. One win and two defeats away from home does point to a trend which could be their undoing over the course of the season. The Reds are now on a two away game losing streak, and just as much of a concern is that they have not scored in their last two matches either. Liverpool have a good balanced squad, but so far striker Luis Suarez looks to be carrying everything on his shoulders at the moment. England striker Andy Carroll has yet to make the impact his big money moved was expected to have, and with the injection of fresh blood, like Jordan Henderson, Charlie Adam, Stewart Downing, Craig Bellamy and Jose Enrique, many were expecting a bit more of an explosive start to the new season. But regardless of the new faces, the passion levels should be all there for the big derby match on Saturday. There’s not too much wrong with their play, and they have been missing influential captain Steven Gerrard to rally the troops, especially away from home, but Reds fans were probably hoping for just a little more stability. Liverpool are up in fifth in the Premier League and need a win to keep pace with the top, as they are already six points behind leaders. After beating Arsenal away, and then losing to Tottenham, Liverpool’s form is unpredictable, but they will be out for revenge for their away defeat at Goodison last season.

Head to Head: There have been 105 meetings between the two Merseyside clubs at Goodison Park, with the head to head record pretty tight. Everton have picked up 40 wins, Liverpool 37 and there has been 28 draws. In the overall head to head, Liverpool do lead with 82 wins to 66. In last year’s corresponding fixture, Everton scored a good 2-0 victory, and then held the Reds to a 2-2 draw at Anfield. Everton have won two of the last three derby matches at Goodison.

Online Bookmaker Promotion: Paddy Power have a money back special promotion running for the derby match. If Liverpool’s Luis Suarez or Everton’s Marouane Fellaini scores the last goal of the match, then the bookie will refund losing First Goalscorer, Last Goalscorer, Correct Score and Scorecast Single bets placed on the match. Paddy Power welcome new customers to their service, with a free £50 bet when registering a new account.

Manchester City v Everton Betting Tip & Odds: Well, no doubt as to where the firepower is. City have netted 17 goals compared to 6 from Everton, so that tells a tale this season. City have thrown off the shackles a little bit this term and are gunning hard, creating plenty of chances. They genuinely look like a good scoring side, and at home it should be too much for Everton, who will set their stall out to frustrate and defy City. So we will take a Man City -1.25 Asian Handicap for 21/20 at Victor Chandler.

Manchester City to win: 4/9 at Boylesports
Draw: 15/4 at Stan James
Everton to win: 15/2 at Bet365

EPL Match Preview: It looks as if this is going to be a fascinating match up between these two sides on Saturday. Manchester City will be back in Champions League action in the week, so it will be interesting to see what Mancini does with his squad after giving run outs to Kolo Toure and Owen Hargreaves in the Carling Cup. City need to carry on all guns-a-blazing if they are going to keep up with Manchester United at the top of the Premier League. As for Everton, they would be happy to borrow a few goals from City. City’s Aguero has scored more on his own than Everton have managed all season. But Everton are a tough nut to crack as always, very organised, hard to break down and more than capable of causing an upset. This is a big test for City, but will home advantage be the thing that tips the balance? Everton also hold a very good record against Man City recently. A fascinating tussle awaits.

Manchester City Form: The form of City at the start of the new season, genuinely sees them as a serious title contender, even if boss Roberto Mancini is playing it down a little bit. City have definitely turned up the intensity of their attacking play from last season, with Uruguayan striker Sergio Aguero looking like one of the best Premier League signings of the summer. Aguero (8) and strike partner Edin Dzeko (6) have hit 14 goals between them this season, a showing of attacking power that we didn’t quite expect from City, who were extremely cagey last season. But four wins and a draw from their first five games has seen them come out of the blocks firing, and that is the form which they need to keep up to track down rivals Manchester United. There is a bit of a feeling that no matter what City do, United just seem to do it a little bit better. You would think that 18 goals in five matches which City have hit would be a league leading tally, but no, United have 21. Thirteen points from their first five games is a tremendous return, but no, United have picked up 15 from 15. So all is well at Manchester City you would think, but apparently not. Even though they have spent around £400 million in players over the past couple of summer’s, Mancini has said that he needs to bolster his squad. Why? Well, because they threw away a two nil lead against Fulham at Craven Cottage last weekend, and the demands of the Champions League (in which City drew 1-1 away at Napoli) could be too much for his squad. Injuries to midfielders James Milner and Nigel de Jonge aren’t helping things at the moment either. But City genuinely look to have one of the stronger squads in depth of all Premier League teams. Mancini will have been delighted to see Owen Hargreaves score on his City debut against Birmingham in the Carling Cup midweek (great goal too), but it is the challenge of balancing Premier League and Champions League matches which is often the biggest test. What City are doing very well though, even in their draw against Fulham, is controlling possession for long periods of their matches, and creating chances. They should have scored more against Fulham, and they should have been tighter at the back. But you can’t really argue with scoring three or more goals in each of their first four matches, before the meeting with Fulham. City do hold a 100% clean sheet record at home this season, and a 100% record of their home matches being over 2.5 goals. Most of City’s goals have come in the 46-60 minute period of games and they have opened the scoring in all of their matches this season. Strong performers, and will look to flex their goal scoring muscles again.

Everton Form: The Toffees, by their own reckoning, have gotten off to an above average start to the new season. After having their opening fixture at Spurs cancelled because of the London riots, Everton are up in 7th place already, having played a game less than everyone else around them. So a strong start from David Moyes and his side, who appear to have limited depth in their squad, but always work hard as a team. Everton don’t really spend money and that limits how much they can go forward, but Moyes always seems to work his magic and make the Toffees a highly respected and strong side. With two wins, one draw and one defeat this season, it has been a strong start from Everton, but some usual worrying trends are still there. There have only been six goals in their four games, and that is largely down to them trebling their season tally with a 3-1 win over Wigan last weekend. Everton opened the season with a home defeat against newly promoted QPR and a lot of flak was thrown their way, but they have responded well. Everton are generally a tough side to break down, even if their threats going forward are a little bit limited. But there is some positive vibes about the future with some of the new crew in the Everton pack. Greek teenage striker, who has been called a rough diamond which needs polishing, Apostolos Vellios got himself on the score sheet against Wigan last weekend, and with the likes of Royston Drenthe and Denis Stracqualursi keen to make a mark in the squad, Everton look a tight unit with a bit more future potential. They came through a tight Carling Cup fixture against West Brom during the week, in which Phil Neville banged in the winner, but they head to Eastlands with no fear of City whatsoever. That is because Everton hold a very good record against City and should be considered for your Man City v Everton betting. Not too much to read into Everton’s away form this season, as they have only played one match away from Goodison, a 1-0 with at Blackburn. Most of their goals have come in the final 15 minutes of matches this season, suggesting that you can never write them off. With the Carling Cup win, they are on a five match unbeaten run.

Head to Head: The record between these two sides makes for very interesting reading. Everton have won seven of the last eight meetings with Man City, and have won the last four straight when visiting City. In last season’s corresponding fixture, Everton ran out 2-1 winners at Eastlands, and won by the same score line back at Goodison. That has been four straight wins for Everton over City now, which is fascinating given the season projections for these two. City are expected to efficiently see off teams like Everton, but it didn’t happen last season. There is a strong trend which suggests backing Everton here, certainly in recent form. Overall head to head between the two in matches at Man City, has produced 45 wins for City, 19 for Everton and 18 draw. So City have a decent home record against Everton. In this fixture, City average 1.73 goals per game, and Everton average just under one goal per game when visiting City.

Online Bookmaker Promotion: Online bookmaker BetFred have a Money Back Special running for Man City v Everton betting on the weekend. If Sergio Aguero scores the last goal of the match, then the bookie will pay out refunds on losing First Goalscorer, Last Goalscorer, Correct Score and Scorecast bets. With Dzeko at 7/2 and Carlos Tevez at 4/1 as First Goalscorer, you have pretty good coverage in the markets at BetFred. The popular bookie offers a free £50 bet for new customers registering an account with them.

Saturday 20th August

English Premier League

Everton v QPR

Everton’s start to the season was delayed due to the riots in London whilst QPR would have been wishing for such a circumstance as they crashed 4-0 at home to Bolton last Saturday. The two sides go head to head in the hunt for their first points of the campaign.

Goodison Park has probably been the quietest of grounds in the Premier League when it comes to transfer business in the close season. There has been virtually no movement either in or out of Everton since the end of last season. The most pleasing thing for manager Davie Moyes will have been that, to date, the club have managed to be keep hold of their star players including Phil Jagielka, Leighton Baines and Mikel Arteta. There is, of course, still time between now and the close of the window but it’s doubtful that Everton would sell with so little time left to reinvest the funds gained from the sale in replacements. The Toffee’s finished seventh last term, just four points off their city neighbours Liverpool. A repeat of that finish would surely be considered a success for the fans, management and players. Heading into tomorrow’s game they will be hoping that they can get off to a better start than what they did last season. They had to wait until October, a run of seven games, before recording their first win. The slow start is what killed them in their quest for a European spot so Moyes and his players will be under no illusions as to how important getting that first win on the board really is.

QPR were torn apart by Bolton in the second half last Saturday despite starting the game quite brightly. A Gary Cahill goal just before the break knocked the stuffing out of last season’s Championship winners but they will have to learn quick that the Premier League is not only a tough league physically, it’s also extremely draining mentally as well. Since that defeat, the club have been bought over which, for Neil Warnock’s sake, will hopefully mean that more transfer funds become available to sign the players they desperately need. A bid for Scott Parker has been rejected by West Ham but it does signal some sort of intent on Rangers’ part. What Warnock will have to avoid is another trouncing tomorrow as it will not only drain the players of confidence and motivation, but also make it more difficult for he himself to avoid suffering as a consequence. With a new owner on board, it doesn’t take much for them to throw their weight about and start looking for their own people.

Everton are normally strong at home and will look to use that form from the off tomorrow. They have not lost at home this year which bodes well. However, they are notoriously slow starters and they usually perform better when they are underdogs. They will be expected to go for it from the first whistle against a newly promoted side and there is cause for thinking that it may well play into QPR’s hands. Warnock will be looking to hit on the counter attack and with a new air of optimism surrounding the Hoops, I can see this being an entertaining game.

Everton with Louis Saha and Tim Cahill will always be a threat whilst QPR have plenty of options going forward and were a tad unlucky to to score in the first half last Saturday. Two bets I fancy are both teams to score and for their to be more than two goals in the game.

My Selection: Both teams to Score at a best priced EVENS with Skybet
            Over 2.5 goals at a best priced 5/6 available with Victor Chandler

English Championship

Derby County v Doncaster Rovers

Derby have surprised many with their 100% start to the new season whilst Doncaster too have a 100% start to their season – unfortunately for them however, it’s 100% of losses as they have failed to grab a point from their first three matches.

Nigel Clough is now into his third season in charge of County and know’s that time is fast running out for him to convince the fans and the board that the can lead Derby back into the Premier League. They’re a massive club with an excellent stadium but have done nothing of note fore over four years. Their fans will be bouyed by the start to the season but will also be well aware that it is just the start, there is still over 40 games to go. Their most recent win, a 1-0 over Blackpool, is their most impressive to date as they too had a 100% record going into the match. They looked resolute and determined from the outset and come the end of the season, I can’t see too many teams going to Bloomfield Road and leaving with all three points. Craig Bryson got the winner in the second half of the season and his signing has brought energy and drive to what was a pedestrian midfield at times last season. Clough also has a lot more options upfront than he did last season with the signings of Chris McGuire and Nathan Tyson. As yet, both have yet to play any part but it makes the squad a lot stronger and once they do get fit and get games under their belt, they will score goals.

Donny have been likened to Arsenal because of their style of play but like Arsenal, they may need to sacrifice part of their philosophy and attempt to put a run of results together in order to prevent them from being cast adrift at the bottom of the table. Admittedly, Rovers have not had the easiest of openings to their league campaign as they have faced Brighton, West Ham and most recently Nottingham Forest. They have also not been hammered as they have lost by the odd goal in each of their matches. A 3-0 cup win over Tranmere also shows that they are capable of scoring goals which they have struggled to do in the league thus far, with just one goal for. Part of the reason for that is the absence of Billy Sharp who is injured. Their top scorer from last season has not played since the opening day of the season when he got stretchered off after opening the scoring earlier in the match. He is likely to be out for several months which deals a massive blow to Sean O’Drisscoll who has delved into the transfer market in an attempt to soften the blow of losing his star striker.

Derby were the last team that Doncaster beat in the division back in March. It means that the away side have won just once in 22 games, and the match was also their only away win in the last nine months. Could it be that they can record their second win in that time at the same ground? Possibly, but not for me. The vibes coming out of Derby County after their success in midweek were very positive and I feel than can continue their excellent start to the new season.

My Selection: Derby County to beat Doncaster Rovers

Best odds available: 5/6 available with Totesport

Sunday 21st August

English Championship

West Ham v Leeds United

A match that wouldn’t look out of place in the Premier League takes place at Upton Park on Sunday as recently relegated West Ham look to continue their good form when Leeds, fresh from a resounding 4-1 over Hull, come to visit.

Sam Allardyce suffered a defeat in his first league match in charge when Cardiff scored in the last minute to win on the opening day of the season. Since then however, West Ham have looked far more accomplished and are getting the results that many expected of them before a ball was kicked. Still with Scott Parker onside, Allardyce is looking to galvanize a support who were disillusioned with many at the club, from the owners down to the players on the park. The only way he will succeed in doing that is by winning games. Tuesday’s emphatic win over Watford will have done no harm at all but consistency is the key. There’s no point in winning two matches on the road if they are unable to get maximum points in their home games. Key to that is Kevin Nolan who Allardyce worked with at Bolton, which is arguably the main reason why the former Newcastle midfielder dropped down a division when he left the Tyneside club. Nolan is forming a formidable relationship with Scott Parker, Jack Collison, Mark Noble and Matty Taylor in the West Ham midfield. There is a mix of everything and is the envy for all the other Championship managers.

Leeds lost their first two league games in a whimper before thrashing Hull on Tuesday night. It will have boosted everyone’s confidence and giving some belief back to the players who were so close to finishing in the play-off’s last season. Simon Grayson has refused to make wholesale changes during the summer instead trusting the players who have done so well for him and the club. Darren O’Dea is arguably their biggest transfer of the summer coming in on loan from Celtic. The defender has slotted straight into the first eleven and will make an impact at the club. Last weekends defeat to Middlesbrough will have hurt Grayson in more than one way. Not only did they lose the match, but certain players lost their discipline as well resulting in two yellow cards. This will be a worry for Grayson as Leeds were dogged with suspensions through all of last season. In order to have the best possible campaign this time around, Grayson and his players must keep their heads and concentrate on playing football.

It’s sure to be a fiery match as there is not much blood loss between the two sets of fans. Both are massive clubs and will be hoping that this season is just a stepping stone for better things in the near future. Leeds have been soundly beaten on their only away game to date when they lost 3-1 to Southampton, whilst as mentioned, West Ham lost their only home match thus far. Something has to give and with the form West Ham are in at the moment, I’m siding with Big Sam’s boys to do the business.

My Selection: West Ham to beat Leeds United

Best odds available: 3/4 available with William Hill

The Club:
Everton just seem to keep on doing what they do best, not causing any great drama or fuss for their fans. They started slowly last year but ended up in the top ten, and that is just what we can expect from them again. The odd thing about Everton, is that there does not seem to be a great deal of ambition there. They seem to be happy floating around as a mid table team, and they are not going to push on unless they bring in a couple of high quality missing components. Still, the Everton faithful enjoy what Moyes does for the club, and they are a side capable of hitting a massive result in upsetting higher ranked teams, or collapsing to out of the blue heavy defeats. Everton are not blessed with one of the deepest squads in the Premier League, but somehow what the players which come in are ready to fight for the cause, something which can’t be said for all teams. The financial problems at Everton, and with them being so desirous of a move, will hinder any real plans of silverware and success for Everton. You have to feel that their best chance of shining will be in the Carling Cup or the FA Cup, while solidifying their Premier position and hoping that funds do come their way. Everton Premier League betting is not going to get much more complicated than that.

Players/Manager:
It is going to be same old same old for Everton. David Moyes has said that he is happy at Goodison, and there are not going to be any great waves made in the transfer market by the Toffees. Perhaps the most exciting thing about Everton is the saga over their England centre half Phil Jagielka, who Arsenal have been putting in bids for. Everton will hang on to their stars like Jack Rodwell and Leighton Baines of course, and they are not ready to sacrifice their future for help now. David Moyes knows how to get the best out of what he has to work with. We are sure that he would like a whole bunch of money to go spending, especially in bringing in quality strikers, but it is not going to happen. But, Everton do have a very good crop of young players who could step up and break through, but a lot of focus will fall on Jermaine Beckford up front, and whether some of the raw rookie mistakes he showed last season have been drilled out of him. They need the goals to come from the potential to deliver. Otherwise, very much the same Everton we will have seen last season. Nothing much changes at Goodison, but they make the best of what they have. At times though, it feels like David Moyes is really their biggest asset.

Last Season: 7th
A seventh place finish was a decent return for Everton and credit due again to David Moyes, who keeps doing a solid job. For all their critics, Everton played some very good football last year. Granted the end quality was often not there to back up what had gone before them, but at times they played with some good adventure and flair, never negating their defensive duties which have been instilled in them by Moyes. Their defence does carry them a lot and they are always hard to break down. They did have a lot of injury problems last year too. Can they offer just that little bit more going forward this season? They need to find something.

2011/12 Everton Premier League Betting Projection:
Everton will struggle for goals again, and they really need Tim Cahill to stay fit to keep them in mid table anonymity. Cahill is crucial to the Toffees for his goals from midfield, and without him, they would have been very barren in front of goal. The lack of strike power will hurt them at times, but they have good  youngsters in the squad who show a promising future for Everton. Unfortunately it is the way which they have to do business. They can’t rival their rivals Liverpool in terms of spending, so they have to rely on the shrewdness of Moyes in preparing his teams and in the transfer market. Moyes knows how to put out a side which is efficient, which plays smart football and causes opposition a lot of problems. That is what he is good at, that is what Everton are good at. With a striker in place who can be relied on, Everton would be a very comfortable top ten side, but without one, they will have to work and fight hard to get back into that position.

Finishing Position: Top Half of Table

Premier League Top Ten Finish Odds:
2/7 at Bet365

First Three Fixtures
August 13th: Tottenham v Everton
August 20th: Everton v QPR
August 27th: Blackburn v Everton

BACK TO 2011/12 PREMIER LEAGUE BETTING GUIDE
 

Saturday 7th May
 
English Premier League
 
West Ham United v Blackburn Rovers
 
Massive match at Upton Park on Saturday as both West Ham and Blackburn are still right in the thick of a relegation battle and desperately need points in their bid for survival.  
 
West Ham put in a decent enough performance last Sunday when away to fourth placed Manchester  City. They went down narrowly losing 2-1 but it’s yet another game, in a list of many, where they’ve came away with no points. Last weekends fixtures saw the Hammers fall to bottom of the division and no team has managed to beat the drop when in last place this late on in the season. Avram Grant is of course no stranger to relegation as he was in charge of Portsmouth when they were demoted last season. He would have been expecting a much easier season in charge of West Ham but that has not been the case. Everyone expected the clarets to kick on when they brought in reinforcements during the January transfer window. They managed a decent enough run of form between February and March but have since tailed off and are now without a win since March. In actual fact, they have lost six of their last seven so it’s no real surprise to see where they are at this point. Their last point was gained in the middle of March so they are certainly right out of form heading into the final three matches of their season.  
 
Although Rovers won last weekend at home to Bolton, they are still not safe from the drop. They are six points clear of tomorrow’s rivals but only half that margin ahead of the third bottom side, Wigan. Steve Kean will have been delighted with last Saturday’s victory as it does provide a bit of breathing space, but will be under no illusions that a point at worst tomorrow could provide so much more and would mean they would all but end West Ham’s hopes of staying up. It may not guarantee safety for Blackburn, but it would eliminate one of the many sides battling to beat the drop. Rovers will have to overcome a horrendous away record which has seen them win just three of 17 matches on their travels. Their last win on the road was against West Brom at the back end of last year. It means a run of eight away games without a win. They have lost seven of those but they can take some encouragement from their last trip to the capital when they held Arsenal to a goalless draw.  
 
Tensions will be understandably high tomorrow. West Ham know that anything but a win and there season could be as good as over depending on results elsewhere so they will be going all out for a win. Scott Parker, recently crowned Player of the Year, will have a lot of responsibility on his shoulders once again, but the likes of Robbie Keane and Matthew Upson will also be important as their experience should come to the fore. Blackburn are in diabolical form away from home whilst West Ham are in terrible form overall. With so much at stake and with confidence set to be so low in both camps, the bet I like tomorrow is for their to be more goals in the second half. Often in games, teams who are in low in confidence are very susceptible to conceding late goals as they retreat deeper and deeper into their own half inviting pressure on to them. When you think of how nervous players will be in the opening 45, it looks a sound bet.  
 
Not every bookmaker offers such bets and I apologise in advance if you are unable to place such a bet but I often do these type of wagers in such games and believe it is the best bet of this fixture
 
My Selection: More goals in second half of the match  
 
Best odds available: 11/10 available with Coral
 
 
English Premier League
 
Everton v Manchester City
 
Manchester City look to have secured the fourth and final Champions League spot but as it’s not totally sealed, will be looking for all three points when they visit Goodison to face Everton.
 
Everton are really only playing for pride as they approach the final few games of the season. They had faint hopes of getting into the final Europa League spot but those seemed to be distant memory now as Spurs are seven points ahead having played a game less. Moyes will be disappointed as he is very ambitious and would have been targeting Europe through a league finish or from a domestic cup success. Neither will happen now but you can expect the Toffee’s to be kept up to their business as Moyes will be hoping to cement seventh place and hold off the challenge of Bolton and Fulham, with the latter of the two finishing the season strongly. Every position counts in the Premier League as more prizemoney is awarded the higher you finish. With Everton one of the clubs who can’t rely on massive investment, it can make a big difference to their budget for the following season.  
 
Roberto Mancini looked to be a couple of games from the sack about a month ago when they were struggling for form but football’s a funny old game and City have not only strengthened their grip on the final Champions League spot but they have also defeated their city rivals, United, in the semi final of the FA Cup which means they have the curtain piece to the domestic season to look forward to in a fortnight when they face Stoke at Wembley. It would be a unique ‘double’ of sorts for the Italian and his players who had to achieve something this season or their knives would have been out for him. Last weekends win over West Ham, aligned with Spurs defeat to Chelsea has all but ruled the London side out of the running whilst Liverpool’s late surge has come to late as they have also played a game more than City.  
 
Everton’s recent record against the light Blues has been excellent. They have won six of the last seven meetings between the two including the one just before Christmas where they were very impressive. Recent results, and performances against City may suggest that Moyes has the Indian sign over the mega-rich club and it’s something that the man in the away dugout will be hoping that it’s a run which comes to an end starting tomorrow.
 
Mancini can obviously call on a far bigger squad of players than tomorrow’s counterpart but it’s not exactly hindered Everton in the past. The players work so well as a unit and despite the lack of numbers, there is certainly a great deal of quality in the squad. They have had to contend with massive injury problems this season which has stretched their squad so it is testament to Moyes and his players that they are in the position they are currently in.  
 
Everton have certainly performed really well against City of late and it’s a run I envisage continuing tomorrow simply because of their ability to raise their game when they wish. They’re not always consistent but the odds on a home win are too attractive to knock back.
 
My Selection: Everton to beat Manchester City
 
Best odds available: 7/4 available with Victor Chandler
 
 
English League One
 
Southampton v Walsall
 
We delve into League One for the third preview of the weekend and pay a visit to St Mary’s where recently promoted Southampton play host to relegation threatened Walsall.
 
Nigel Adkins and his side have been the team to follow in recent weeks as they have powered themselves into the second automatic promotion spot behind runaway leaders Brighton. Adkins, who took the job after Alan Pardew was sacked earlier in the season, will be thrilled that his side have achieved their goal with a game to spare and that they can enjoy playing infront of their fans without any real pressure put upon them. This is further enhanced because of their opponents tomorrow as Walsall will be scrapping for their lives looking for points to ensure they are still in the division come next season. The Saints won’t be in the division but they will be plying their trade in the next level of English football. They have won 12 of their last 14 league games, an incredible record by anyone’s standards in any division. It may not come as a surprise considering the players at the club and the quality they have within the squad but they still have to have the right attitude and desire to go and perform and win matches which they certainly have had in recent weeks and months.  
 
Walsall currently sit on the threshold of relegation, one point above Dagenham and Redbridge who occupy the final relegation spot. They are in decent enough form of late as they are unbeaten in three and won last time out but they would have liked a better game to finish with than they one they are currently faced with. Any side would like their destiny in their own hands which the Saddlers have but they would have preferred to be at home on the final day. As it is they have to travel to the form side in the division, if not the country, and attempt to win which would guarantee their survival. Of course, they could end up losing the match and still stay up depending on results elsewhere but it’s hardly something they’ll wish to experience as their nerves will be bad enough when they stop on to that pitch tomorrow.  
 
Looking at the prices for this game and you can obviously see that the fact Southampton have nothing but pride to play for and Walsall everything to play for, has played a massive part in the pricing of the fixture. If this games was played last week you would never have gotten close to the price Southampton will be whilst Walsall would have been much bigger, probably double what they currently are.  
 
Walsall can console themselves with the fact that Dagenham too are away and face a difficult match against free-scoring Peterbrough at London Road – not a gimmee by any stretch of the imagination.  
 
It will be party time for the home side tomorrow and the fans will expect a good performance to sign off what has been a successful season. They have so much quality and so many goals in the side that their price is a false one to me and I believe the bookies have got this one wrong.  
 
My Selection: Southampton to beat Walsall
 
Best odds available: 4/6 available with Betfred

Saturday 4^th March

English Premier League

Fulham v Blackburn Rovers

 Mark Hughes faces another one of his former clubs a week on from visiting the City of Manchester Stadium as Blackburn Rovers travel to Craven Cottage tomorrow.

Fulham have been this season’s draw specialists with 14 to their name already. There are two ways of looking at it; one would be the fact they are hard to beat and do not lose many games, whilst the other viewpoint is that they struggle to win games. Either or, the end result is the same, a low points total which means they are still in contention for the drop. In recent weeks there have been signs of improvement, however, as the Cottagers have remained unbeaten through a difficult set of fixtures against Aston Villa and Manchester City away, as well as Newcastle and Chelsea at home. Hughes would have been frustrated that his side never came away with more than six points from those games as Fulham missed a last minute penalty against Chelsea which would have won them all three points. As well as not losing many games (just eight from 28 games) they also have one of the best defensive records in the league. Their total of 28 goals conceded is only bettered by the top four sides in the division, which certainly shows where their main strengths lie.

Blackburn Rovers currently sit bottom of the form table in the Premier League with just one win from their last six matches. It’s testing times for their new boss Stewart Kean who was a surprise appointment when getting the job before Christmas. If history tells us anything in football it’s that new owners, especially one’s pumping millions into a club, are not the most patient of folk. Kean will be only too well aware of this and will be under no illusions as to what needs to change if he wishes to lead Rovers in the Premier League next season. Like Fulham, Rovers are very much involved in the relegation dogfight as the season moves into its final quarter. It’s been on their travels where Blackburn have really struggled as well as they have lost 10 of their 14 matches on the road – only Wolves have lost more games away from home in the league. They have, in actual fact, lost eight of their last nine games in all competitions away from home.

Fulham are beginning to get their key players back, Bobby Zamora withstanding, Hughes now has more depth to his squad then he has since taking the job. They have more goal scoring options which can only be a good thing as they fight against the drop. Zoltan Gera, Moussa Dembele, Andy Johnson and Eidur Gudjohnsen really need to start taking more responsibility when on the park and chip in with more goals to support top scorer Clint Dempsey. Rovers also have a plethora of options going forward but few of them chip in with enough goals to move Blackburn away from danger. When your top scorer is only on five goals, you need to worry.

Fulham have only lost three games at home all season, and whilst they have only won five, they remain strong opponents and difficult to get the better off at the Cottage. Their wins have also come against sides in and around them or below them in the table. With Rovers on such a bad run of form on the road, I fancy Fulham to take a big step to Premier League safety tomorrow.

My Selection: Fulham to beat Blackburn Rovers

Best odds available: 3/4 available with Paddypower

English Premier League

Newcastle United v Everton

Everton have to pick themselves up after being knocked out of the FA Cup by reading as Newcastle will prove stern opposition tomorrow as they get back to league business.

Life after Andy Carroll has been nothing but eventful at St James’ Park. The comeback from 4-0 down against Arsenal was unarguably the most entertaining and one of the all time greatest matches in Premier League history whilst they have gone four games unbeaten since losing to Fulham at the beginning of February. Alan Pardew will no doubt be pleased by the resilience shown by his players in the midst of a lot of media attention and fans criticism for the sale of their former number 9 to Liverpool on the last day of the January transfer window. One man who has certainly stepped up to the plate is Leon Best. Hardly given a chance since his move to the club over a year ago, Best has done well since coming into the team as a regular starter in January. He has scored five goals in nine league games including a hat trick against West Ham. Although not completely safe from relegation, Newcastle are still in a comfortable enough position heading into the latter months of the season. In ninth position with 36 points, another couple of wins should see them safe for another season and a chance to spend the £35m burning a hole in Mike Ashley’s pocket.

Everton have been this season’s biggest enigma by far and must be a source of great frustration for their manager Davie Moyes. Their season could be summed up by their FA Cup exploits in recent weeks. Despite knocking out Chelsea in replay on penalties, and looking every inch potential winners of the competition, they undone all their hard work during the week as they were knocked out by Championship side Reading at Goodison Park. So many times this season, you expect them to kick on and put together a strong run of form like they have in previous season, only for them to hit a brick wall. It’s the main reason as to why they are fighting against relegation as opposed to challenging for a European place. Moyes has openly admitted that he is disappointed with the lack of consistency and will demand that he and the supporters get a big performance tomorrow after the disappointment of midweek.

For me, Newcastle still lack some firepower upfront. As well as Best has done since taking over Carroll’s mantle, he’s still very much a novice at this level. Kevin Nolan remains a threat, especially at set-pieces but they can’t continue to rely on the former Bolton man for goals. Everton do a much better job of sharing goals around the side. Three players have scored at least five league goals this season with Tim Cahill their top scorer with 9 to his name, despite missing a month due to the Asian Cup.

Aside from losing 2-0 to Bolton in February, Everton have done relatively well on the road recently. A narrow defeat to Arsenal was preceded by a very good derby draw with Liverpool. Their most recent away game was in the FA Cup replay at Stamford Bridge where they acquitted themselves really well. I like the balance Everton have, especially away from home. I also believe Moyes is an excellent manager and his players will be desperate to prove something to him after Tuesday night. Although you have to have a bit of faith and go against the form table a little, I think Everton are attractively priced to win all three points tomorrow.

My Selection: Everton to beat Newcastle United

Best odds available:  15/8 available with Victor Chandler

Scottish Premier League

Celtic v Hamilton

After an eventful Old Firm Scottish Cup replay, Celtic return to league action against Hamilton on Saturday hoping to stretch their league at the top of the table.

Three sending offs, fisticuffs in the tunnel, arguments between both benches…just another derby day in Glasgow. That was the case on Wednesday as Celtic kept their treble bid alive after defeating arch rivals Rangers 1-0 at Celtic Park. Neil Lennon’s side had been in tremendous form before crashing to a 2-0 defeat against Motherwell last Sunday. They responded with Wednesday success but know that the most important prize of all remains the SPL Championship. Currently five points clear but having played two more games than Rangers, anything but a win would be unwelcome, if not disastrous at this stage of the season. 10 wins from 14 home matches is good form but it certainly needs to continue with 11 games of the season left.

Hamilton are in big danger of being cast adrift of the rest at the bottom of the table Seven points behind and on level games with St Mirren, things look bleak for Billy Reid and his players. With just two wins all season, and none of those at home, it doesn’t take Columbo to see where they have to improve. You can sympathise with Reid and his plight as he has had to sell off his best players to doting admirers in recent seasons. James McCarthy, James MacArthur and Brian Easton have all left for England and have yet to be replaced with any real quality. Alex Neil is also a big miss as the captain has been injured for much of the season. All things considered, however, they don’t score enough goals, they concede too many and they are lacking in quality – there usually is only one outcome for those sort of traits.

Celtic have a big squad at their disposal and have the luxury of making changes ahead of tomorrow’s game. Anthony Stokes is likely to come back into the side after missing out on Wednesday, whilst Joe Ledley and Fraser Forster should also return after missing out through suspension. Stokes is the key one however as he is Celtic’s top scorer and the one capable of scoring from any situation. He has already netted against Hamilton this season and having not scored since the middle of February, will be keen to add to his tally of 12 league goals. Celtic have an exemplary home record against Hamilton in the Premier League having won four from four with 13 goals scored and just one conceded. I expect this to continue tomorrow.

My Selection: Celtic (-2) to beat Hamilton at a best priced 9/5 available with Coral

Anthony Stokes to score and Celtic to win available at a best priced 5/6 available with 888Sport

Arsenal v Everton Betting Tip & Odds: Well, even though they don’t always win quite as convincingly as they should Arsenal have to go as favourites, especially at home. It may be another long evening where they spend a lot of time trying to break down the defensive qualities that Everton will bring to the table. The outcome of this match will be all about whether Everton will buckle under the pressure. They have been bolstered by the return of Phil Jagielka, which makes a huge difference to them, and Arsenal have lost Nasri. Will it all peter out to a draw, or do the Gunners have enough creativity to edge this one? Best way to deal with this one is to look at an Asian Handicap market. The form Arsenal are in, it is tempting enough to go with an Arsenal -1.25 Asian Handicap for 21/20 at Bet365.

Arsenal to win: 4/9 at SkyBet
Draw: 7/2 at Bet365
Everton to win: 15/2 at Bet365

EPL Match Preview: With the thrills of the FA Cup passing on by from the weekend, it is back to some serious Premier League business on Tuesday. Arsenal will look to maintain their challenge near the top of the league, as they host Everton at the Emirates. The Gunners have been rocked with the news that one of their best players of the season, French star Samir Nasri will be missing for around three weeks with injury. Arsenal secured their place in the fifth round of the FA Cup with a home 2-1 win over Huddersfield on Sunday, and it will be back to the search for a vital three points as they look to hunt down Manchester United. Arsenal have been having a strong season, and have looked a far more balanced side away from home. They realistically haven’t had a better chance at winning the Premier League for years now, and although they will seriously miss the influence of Nasri, the strength that Arsene Wenger has in the depth of his squad, they should still continue to be a major threat. The Gunners are on a strong run of six unbeaten matches in the Premier League, winning four of those six. They are a big five points behind leaders United at the moment, and all that they can do is keep winning and hope for United to lose come their tougher matches against the other top four sides. For now, Arsenal will be enjoying this fixture, and they have a pretty good record against Everton, and when Arsenal are at home, you always have to look at them as a winners. They just play the kind of football that gets the job done wonderfully.

The Gunners average two points per game at home this season, and they will be the team which will dictate the run of play. They will control the lions share of the possession, they just have to pull Everton around as much as possible, and they will find a way through. They haven’t been firing quite on all cylinders as of late, but they have showed some mettle in grinding out results when they have needed to. They displayed just that very thing when they went to Goodison and beat Everton 2-1 back in November. They should be able to repeat the outcome at the Emirates, and you have to go back to the 1995/96 season to find the last time that Everton won away at Arsenal. It’s not a great record clearly, and that trend, that dominance should be continued. Let’s look at the stats for this one, and Arsenal have a 66% win record at home against Everton, and that is a huge marker in the head to heads. Everton have won just 17 times out of the 96 matches played between the two clubs in London. The total goals sees Arsenal having scored over twice as many as Everton in those home matches, and you would think that around a 2-1 victory for the Gunners would sound just about right in terms of quality, form and history. That score line has played into Arsenal’s favour in 18% of their home matches this season. One other noticeable trend to look at, is that Arsenal have won by a 3-0 score line in three of their last four league matches. Worth a look maybe? Everton probably won’t concede three goals though, as that has only happened twice this season to them.

Everton are simply looking for a bit more security in their season. They are finding it a real struggle to get out of the bottom half of the table, and the old problems of lacking firepower are still there. They couldn’t hold on to a lead against Chelsea in the FA Cup at home on the weekend, and that is pretty much indicative of their season. They have lacked the cutting edge to turn those one pointers into three. The Toffees have picked up just five wins all season, but they are the Premier League’s leading draw specialists, drawing twelve of their twenty three matches this season. There is always an air of resilience about David Moyes and Everton, and it is rare that they are going to give anyone an easy game. They have actually lost just six league matches all season which is the same amount as Chelsea have, up in fourth, and just one more than Arsenal. It has just been all of those draws, and they have a very poor forward line, and when you take leading scorer Tim Cahill out of the equation, Everton’s goal tally would be pretty poor. Cahill is top scorer with nine league goals, and the next guys in the Everton charts are on three. The overall tally is not good as it is, and it is tough to imagine them scoring two goals on the road, especially against Arsenal. One doesn’t really picture Everton outscoring Arsenal, especially not at the Emirates, and that should be a big influencing factor on your football betting for this one. Even though you expect hard matches from Everton, they have really struggled to keep clean sheets this season, and have only achieved that once in their last thirteen matches. We all know who potent Arsenal can be up front, so goals should be conceded by Everton, but Arsenal will have to work for them. The Toffees have drawn their last two Premier League matches, and that is probably the most they could hope for from this one. EVerton have a pretty poor record away against Arsenal, and it is hard to see that changing in this fixture. Everton have won just twice on the road this season, while Arsenal have won seven of their eleven league games at the Emirates. Yes, Arsenal have had some uncharacteristic slip ups at home this season, but Everton probably lack the punch to inflict another one upon the Gunners. There is a lot at stake for Arsenal at the moment, and they have to keep going and take advantage of all the home games which they can get. That probably means Everton will be leaving empty handed.

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Arsenal v Everton Premier League Betting Statistics

Last 5 Head to Head
Everton 1, Arsenal 2
Arsenal 2, Everton 2
Everton 1, Arsenal 6
Everton 1, Arsenal 1
Arsenal 3, Everton 1

Arsenal have an 64% win percentage at home in the league this season
Everton have a 17% win percentage away from home in the league this season

Arsenal are on a streak of 4 home games with no defeat
Everton are on a streak of 3 away games with no win

Arsenal have scored 25 goals, and conceded 11 at home
Everton have scored 13 and conceded 14 goals in their away matches

Arsenal average 2.3 goals per match at home this season
Everton average 1.1 goals per match away from home this season

Arsenal have scored the bulk of their goals in the 76-90 minute bracket
Everton have scored the majority of their goals in the 76-90 minute bracket

Arsenal have opened the scoring in 65% of their matches
Everton have scored first in 39% of their matches

Arsenal 2010/11 top scorer: Nasri, 9
Everton 2010/11 top scorer: Cahill, 9

Arsenal 2010/11 Season Form: P23 W14 D4 L5 GF48 GA22 Pts 46 (2nd)
Everton 2010/11 Season Form: P23 W5 D12 L6 GF27 GA29 Pts 27 (14th)

Everton v Chelsea is the big FA Cup fixture of the weekend, and can really still be classed as two teams searching for their best form. Everton have been a bit hit and miss, but they get Phil Jagielka back into the defence, which should shore things up a bit back there. They really have missed the solid England defender, having conceded six goals during his four match absence. Everton are generally known for their hard work all over the field, and for keeping things particularly tight at the back. They have just two wins in their last eight Premier League games, but their stubborn nature shows through when you see that they have picked up five draws in that run, losing just one. They still remain tough to get past, and they showed Chelsea that earlier in the season when they battled back from a deficit at Stamford Bridge to take a well deserved point from the match. Generally you can expect Everton to give a good account of themselves, especially at home, and they always find that extra gear when taking on teams from the top of the league. However, you have to fancy that Chelsea will continue to rediscover their form, with a couple of good wins behind them now, filling them with the confidence which has been lacking. Chelsea fired four unanswered goals past Bolton in the Premier League on Monday night, firmly sending a statement that they are back in business. Perhaps now the major slump they have suffered, which has all but put them out of the title race is past them. The change of form can be put down to Didier Drogba, who looks to be getting back to his old dominant self, after suffering from Malaria. He is starting to show up more and more in the Chelsea games, whereas during their slump he was pretty much anonymous. No reason not to back Chelsea here, although Everton really did highlight Chelsea’s weaknesses when they met in the league. Being the home side they will have to show some initiative, and that could rattle Chelsea. Being out of the league title race (realistically) you should expect a strong performance from Chelsea, as they won’t want to finish the season empty handed. They have drifted out in odds from favourites, and could be worth a punt as outright winner. They could have had an easier tie in the fourth round, but this should be a pretty good test for them to overcome, and a victory would only breed more confidence for the Premier League run in.

Everton to win: 11/4 at SkyBet
Draw: 5/2 at Bet365
Chelsea to win: 11/10 at BetFred

Outright FA Cup Winner Odds
Manchester United: 4/1 at Unibet
Arsenal: 5/1 at Unibet
Manchester City: 5/1 at BetFair
Chelsea: 6/1 at BetFred