Tottenham v Everton – Carling Cup Tuesday

Both teams suffered from late blows on the weekend which inflicted defeat upon them. Spurs were struck by a late goal by Stoke, while Everton fell at Bolton after a late winner by Bolton substitute Ivan Klasnic. Everton had a miserable week after being beaten 5-0 in Europe by Benfica, and travelled to Bolton a side without a home win, looking to re-establish some rhythm. In a game which was far more exciting than many would have ever imagined, Everton twice fought back, but their lack of stability and fighting strength in the middle of the park, allowed Bolton to sucker punch them. Tottenham, in many respects orchestrated their own downfall after not capitalising on their dominance throughout the game. After using up all of their substitutes, only to see England winger Aaron Lennon limp off with an injury, Tottenham were left empty handed after Stoke raided the match with a late goal to win1-0, taking full advantage of ten-man Spurs.

The defeats will ensure that both teams will be looking to bounce back, but Everton will be less happy about the timing of this fixture, meaning that at the end of Tuesday night, they will have played three games in six days. Everton do have some injury problems to contend with and they will have been hoping for a break. But that is the price to pay for top flight clubs, and while they hovering around mid-table mediocrity in the Premier League, this is still a chance to chase some silverware. Tottenham on the other hand have been taken from a relegation candidate to a team which is seriously challenging the Big Four, the turnaround instigated by wily manager Harry Redknapp. Despite suffering crucial defeats against Chelsea and Manchester United, Tottenham are clinging onto third place in the Premier League and have taken huge strides forward in closing the gap in class between title pretenders and title contenders.
The home advantage will suit Spurs, as it means more long travelling hours for Everton. Both were high scorers in the last round,  with Everton winning 4-0 away at Hull, and Spurs winning 5-1 at Preston North End.

Tottenham to win: 4/5 at Blue Square
Draw: 11/4 at William Hill
Everton to win: 4/1 at Victor Chandler

Betting Advice: On the current run of things, Tottenham should have the class to outplay what will probably be quite a tired Everton side. While the Toffees are usually an incredibly resilient and stubborn team to try and break down, Tottenham should have learned from their mistakes on Saturday, and will look to be more clinical in front of goal. They have Robbie Keane, Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch at their disposal, with Crouch being one of the Carling Cup’s  top scorers in the competition so far with four goals.
Tottenham to win in extra time: 9/1 at 888Sport