Jake Pearson looks ahead to Everton's FA Cup clash with Tottenham, previewing the match and picking out his best bet.
Football betting tips: FA Cup
1pt Tottenham to win in 90 minutes at 9/5
For details of advised bookmakers and each-way terms, visit our transparent tipping record
Everton v Tottenham
- 20:15 GMT on BT Sport 1
- Match odds: Home 17/10 | Draw 21/10 | Away 17/10
It took an extra-time winner from Abdoulaye Doucoure for Everton to finally see off Sky Bet Championship Rotherham in round three, before Carlo Ancelotti’s men comfortably swept aside Sheffield Wednesday to progress to this stage.
It will be interesting to see what kind of team the Italian fields here.
Everton’s recent victory over Leeds, along with a moral-boosting 3-3 draw against Manchester United at the weekend, has put the Toffees well and truly in the hunt for Champions League football, currently sitting just three points behind fourth-placed Liverpool, over whom they have two games in hand.
Ancelotti will no doubt be eager to progress as far as possible in the FA Cup, but February could be a defining month for his team's Premier League campaign, with fixtures against Manchester City and Liverpool coming up in the next two weeks.
It is difficult to get a handle on just what this Everton side are under Ancelotti, but one thing is for sure, they concede chances.
Everton have allowed chances equating to more than 1.0 expected goals (xG) in each of their last eight games, which means there will be spaces for this Tottenham team to exploit.
Tottenham ran out comfortable winners against Marine and Wycombe in the two rounds previous, scoring a total of nine goals, although they were made to sweat until the latter stages by the Chairboys.
José Mourinho fielded a weakened side in both matches; like his counterpart, his team selection will be of serious interest here.
Spurs are currently just four points off the Champions League places, and with a trip to league-leaders Manchester City on Saturday, Mourinho has tough decisions to make.
Harry Kane made his swift return from injury at West Brom at the weekend, inspiring the end of Tottenham’s run of three successive Premier League defeats, but it would be a bit of a shock were he to start here - the England captain hasn’t started an FA Cup match in the last two seasons.
Tottenham still have plenty of firepower however, and Kane can be deployed late on to good effect.
Mourinho’s predilection for cup competitions is an interesting one, and arguably the primary reason he was brought to Tottenham in the first place.
The Portuguese manager has already guided his team to the Carabao Cup final, and though they face an uphill task against an unrelenting Manchester City, the ambition to go out and win a trophy is unquestionably there.
There is absolutely nothing to separate Everton and Spurs in the betting, with both sides around 7/4, but there has certainly been a mentality shift in this Tottenham side since Mourinho’s appointment, and that could perhaps give Spurs the edge.
Take into account the fact that Everton have lost their last four FA Cup matches against Premier League opposition, and that feels especially like the case.
As ever, team selection is the vital piece of the puzzle in cup ties, but without that insider knowledge, it is best to take both sides at face value, and if doing so, it is Tottenham who make the most appeal at the prices.
Score prediction: Everton 0-2 Tottenham (Sky Bet odds: 12/1)
Everton v Tottenham best bets
Odds correct at 1100 GMT (09/02/21)
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