Tag Archives: Toffees

Toffees can manage Magpies

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Having been guilty of making slow starts to their Premier League campaigns in the past, Everton have looked far more promising this time around and will be looking for another three points when they host Newcastle United on Monday (Everton 4/5, draw 12/5, Newcastle 4/1 Match Betting).

Manager David Moyes will have been disappointed with his side’s last outing, as they were beaten 2-0 at the Hawthorns by West Brom at the start of the month, but that followed wins over Manchester United and Aston Villa in the top flight.

Two players who have been key for the Toffees have been Darren Gibson and Marouane Fellaini and they could both be set for an absence from the starting line-up for two very different reasons.

Gibson, who has featured in all three of Everton’s games in the Premier League so far, is out with a thigh injury which looks set to keep the former United midfielder out for five weeks.

Belgian international Fellaini (6/1 first goalscorer) on the other hand has caused a stir at Goodison Park with the news he might be set to leave the club in the January transfer window.

The midfielder’s recent comments are believed to have angered Moyes, who has admitted he will be able to do little to stop the player leaving next year if a big offer comes in.

However if Fellaini is given the chance to do his talking on the pitch he will form a strong partnership with Nikica Jelavic (11/8 Anytime goalscorer) in a supporting role behind the Croatian marksman.

This game will be about the clinical finishers and Newcastle, who will make the trip to Merseyside looking to secure their first away win of the Premier League campaign, certainly have players who know where the back of the net is.

Papiss Cisse (6/1 first goalscorer) and Demba Ba form one of the most dangerous strike partnerships in the English top flight and they will be causing the Everton defence plenty of problems, in a game which should see goals at either end.

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew has an ace in the pack with French midfielder Hatem Ben Arfa, who has been an inspiration so far this season and has earned the praise of the Magpies manager this week.

There will be an injury concern for Pardew with Fabricio Coloccini picking up a knock on international duty with Argentina and he will be a loss for the visitors on Monday night.

Both these teams will have similar goals for the end of the Premier League campaign, as they hope to push for an outside chance of finishing in the top four.

This should be an exciting encounter at Goodison Park and with the attacking talent on the field there should be a few goals.

Both these teams would probably settle for a draw on Monday night and they appear to be evenly matched, so it would be no surprise if the points were shared on Merseyside (14/1 2-2 Draw).

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Toffees too sticky for O’s

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Wednesday’s solitary Capital One cup tie sees Premier League Everton go head-to-head with League One outfit Leyton Orient at Goodison Park as David Moyes’ men look to win the cup for the very first time (14/1 Outright).

The Toffees have enjoyed an impressive start to the new Premier League season with a 1-0 home win against Manchester United followed by a 3-1 victory at Aston Villa on Saturday. And, they will be confident of having too much for the O’s in the second round of the newly-named League Cup this week.

Moyes is expected to use the match to blood some youngsters and hand some fringe men an opportunity to put themselves into contention for a call-up to the senior side for Premier League duty.

But with skipper Phil Neville revealing that qualification into European football is their main target this season, the Capital One Cup is a realistic chance to achieve that goal and pick up some silverware along the way.

The O’s come into the tie on the back of a free weekend after a motorway smash resulted in their League One home clash with Hartlepool being postponed when the visitors were unable to get to the Matchroom Stadium in time for kick-off.

And, while they impressively knocked out London rivals Charlton of the Championship on penalties following a 1-1 draw at the Valley in the previous round of the League Cup, Russell Slade’s men are pointless from their opening two league outings having lost to Tranmere and Stevenage respectively.

Everton also hold the upper hand in the previous eight meetings between the two sides with Walter Smith’s side romping to a 4-1 FA Cup fourth round win in 2002 the last time they faced each other.

The last League Cup encounter also went in favour of the Merseysiders in 1989 thanks to goals from Mike Newell and Kevin Sheedy. The recent form suggests a home banker in this tie, with Orient’s only chance of conjuring up a cup shock coming from Moyes’ team selection.

If the Scot opts to make wholesale changes and hands the majority of his usual starting XI a rest it could give the Londoners a chance, but we feel he will send out a side more than capable of winning this tie inside the regular 90 minutes.

Prediction: Everton Home 90 Minutes @ 2/9
Value Bet: Everton To Win 3-1 Correct Score @ 10/1

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Toffees stuck on for point

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After watching everyone else kick-off their 2012/13 campaign over the weekend, Everton and Manchester United complete the opening round of fixtures at Goodison Park on Monday, in what is traditionally one of the most one-sided fixtures in the Premier League.

The Toffees have a dreadful record against their rivals from up the M62, winning just four times in the Premier League era, their last victory coming in February 2010 (Everton 10/3, draw 12/5, Man Utd 10/11).

Indeed United have picked up more points against Everton than any other Premier League side and go into the game bolstered by the arrival of Robin van Persie, who could make his debut at Goodison in what is a fearsome looking strike partnership with Wayne Rooney. Fellow new boys Shinji Kagawa and Nick Powell are also set to be included in Ferguson’s squad.

Despite their impressive record against the Blues, it is the Red Devils who are smarting after their last encounter. Sir Alex Ferguson’s men blew a 4-2 lead at Old Trafford in April to eventually draw 4-4, a result which ultimately cost them the league title.

For Everton the battling draw was one of a number of impressive results during the tail end of the season. David Moyes’ men have a reputation for starting slowly and picking up again in the spring and last season was no different.

Their defence was largely sound – they had the third best defensive record in the league last season – it was scoring goals that was the problem in the autumn.

However, the signings of Nikica Jelavic and Steven Pienaar on transfer deadline day in January proved crucial. That added creativity and a goal threat that saw the Toffees soar up the table, with Jelavic bagging nine goals in 13 games – the 6/1 for him to score first on Monday is worth considering.

They eventually finished last season in seventh place, above neighbours Liverpool for only the second time in 25 years. They have also won seven of their last nine league games at Goodison Park and are unbeaten in nine league games in all. The reason behind their poor starts is often speculation surrounding their best players and lack of funds to bring in any new faces.

However, on this occasion boss David Moyes has actually been able to strengthen, sealing a permanent deal for Pienaar and snapping up Steven Naismith from the now defunct Rangers. Jack Rodwell was sold to Manchester City last week for £12million but Moyes has already spent £6million of that on Belgian forward Kevin Mirallas, with the promises of further new faces.

The air of optimism – instead of despair – hanging over Goodison should be enough to ensure a raucous atmosphere during the game.

Van Persie aside, the ace card for United will undoubtedly be former Toffees striker Wayne Rooney. The England star has scored 14 goals in his last 14 Premier League games and loves to start the season with a bang – he has hit 10 goals in his last nine Premier League games in August.

He is unsurprisingly therefore the 4/1 favourite to open the scoring first on Merseyside, though value could be found in the scorecast. With the Toffees capable of grabbing a point, a Wayne Rooney 1-1 scorecast is priced at tempting 22/1.

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Toffees to sneak final place

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The FA Cup has once against thrown up a number of surprises this season but we are now at the semi-finals of the competition, with the first game at Wembley expected to be a cracker between Merseyside rivals Liverpool and Everton on Saturday (Liverpool 8/5, draw 9/4, Everton 9/5 Match Betting).

The two sides have both had fairly inconsistent seasons but know that going into a derby match, the form book goes out of the window and anything can happen when you’re playing not only for a place in the final, but also for local pride.

The Reds (5/2 FA Cup outright) have struggled in the league this year, with perhaps their best result coming in the 3-0 victory over the Toffees at in March. However, their ability to produce a performance out of nothing has suited them in the cup competitions and after winning the Carling Cup, are now targeting a famous double.

Boss Kenny Dalglish has come under criticism for his selection policy throughout this season but one thing is for sure, when captain Steven Gerrard (11/8 to score at anytime) plays, the Reds often succeed.

The influential skipper has once again missed a large part of the campaign through injury but has impressed when he has played, including scoring a hat-trick in the aforementioned win in the recent derby. Gerrard looks as if he is finally starting to gel with striker Luis Suarez and expect the England international to have a major impact on the outcome of this game.

Everton (7/2 FA Cup outright) have once again confounded the critics and despite a few shaky moments, manager David Moyes has once again proved that you don’t need heavy investment to build a solid Premier League team.

The Toffees currently sit seventh in the table, one place above their neighbours and will be confident of winning at Wembley after beating Sunderland 4-0 on Monday, a victory that extended their unbeaten streak in all competitions to five matches.

Their fine form has undoubtedly had a lot to do with the emergence of January signing Nikica Jelavic (11/8 to score at anytime) who has regularly impressed since his move from the SPL. The Croatian has netted four times in as many games and now looks to be justifying the hype that followed him after his transfer from Rangers.

In recent matches, Liverpool have looked shaky in defence, conceding a number of sloppy goals, and after being rested for the victory over the Black Cats, the in-form 26-year-old will certainly be raring to go and will fancy himself to get on the scoresheet.

Both sides will be desperate to win the game but having rested a number of key stars on Monday, Everton might just be fresher going into the match and could just sneak a single goal victory in an extremely tight encounter (Everton 7/1 to win 1-0).

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Toffees can split points at Anfield

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Everton manager David MoyesEverton look overpriced at 4/1 to inflict a second straight home defeat on Liverpool (8/11 to win in 90 Mins) in Tuesday’s 217th Merseyside derby.

But the draw (13/5) still looks like being the most likely result given that all that’s gone before the match -  which takes place one day before Toffees boss David Moyes celebrates ten years in charge.

Moyes underlined why he could be one of the hottest names on the managerial merry-go-round this summer when his Everton side topped Tottenham 1-0 on Saturday – just hours after Liverpool had slumped to a disappointing loss at Sunderland.

The Goodison Park side are now only two points behind their cross city rivals and will be champing at the bit to inflict more misery on Kenny Dalglish’s men by winning at Anfield – something they last did three years before Moyes arrived in 1999.

Liverpool’s home form this year has been the main reason behind their seventh place standing in the Premier League. The Reds have won only four of 13 matches at Anfield – and have drawn eight times.

Four of the last six meetings between the sides have also been draws, including last season’s January encounter which finished 2-2 after Dirk Kuyt’s 68th minute penalty levelled the scores (5/1 Liverpool To Score a penalty, 7/1 Everton).

Kuyt was on spot-kicks then because Steven Gerrard (13/2 First Goalscorer) was injured and the influential Liverpool skipper’s involvement in this fixture greatly improves his side’s chances of winning the match.

Gerrard (7/4 Anytime Goalscorer) scored in the 2009 derby at Anfield, which finished 1-1, but Kuyt also bagged from open play when Liverpool won the 2010 clash.

Kuyt missed a penalty when the two teams met earlier this season at Goodison Park which meant he did not score in his fourth Merseyside derby in a row.

The Dutchman has scored only one Premier League goal this season – a disappointing return from a player who hit 13, nine and 12 in his last three campaigns.

Kuyt has been coming off the bench for Liverpool recently and making an impact – as he did in extra time at the Carling Cup final.

He has scored three goals in his last eight appearances for Liverpool and on two of these occasions, it was the last goal in the match (Kuyt 7/1 Last Goalscorer)

Everton have scored in their last seven Premier League matches, a run in which they are unbeaten – having defeated Chelsea, Spurs and Manchester City during that spell.

Liverpool should hold no fears for Moyes’ men, particularly with their dodgy home record and the price on an Everton comeback victory (20/1 Everton Win from Behind) must be worth some consideration given Liverpool’s recent inability to hold onto leads against Cardiff City and Arsenal.

However, the draw looks the most likely result after 90 minutes and with Everton’s last three Premier League away games having ended 1-1,  a fourth in a row should probably be backed on Tuesday night (6/1 in Correct Score betting).

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Gunners look to blow away Toffees

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Arsenal (6/5 favourites in the match betting) travel to Goodison Park to face an Everton side (11/5 to win, 12/5 the draw) who have started to turn their Premier League season around after another slow start to the campaign.

The Toffees are unbeaten in their last seven games in the top flight – a record that was kept alive in midweek as former Leeds United striker Jermaine Beckford bagged his first Premier League goal, four minutes into injury time against Bolton to salvage a point.

Everton though will be without midfielder Marouane Fellaini after he was given a straight red during the match against Bolton but there is good news for the Toffees in that Dutch defender John Heitinga is set for a return following his recovery from a knee injury.

Jack Rodwell could also make a return to the starting line-up as the talented youngster has overcome an ankle injury which has forced the player out of action since August.

The 19-year-old was expected to be on the sidelines until Christmas but Rodwell has recovered weeks ahead of schedule and could be troubling the Gunners defence on Sunday.

However, Arsenal will be confident as they go into this game having scored four or more goals in a match against Everton in eight of their 36 Premier League games.

The North London side picked up a valuable away win against Wolves in midweek to keep in touch in the title race as Manchester United and City played out a goalless draw.

Arsenal will be hoping that they can continue their strong away Premier League form having won their last three games on the road, scoring nine goals in the process, and at 6/5 for an away win the Gunners look more than capable of bagging all three points at Goodison given their current form.

In the other Sunday game, league leaders and defending champions Chelsea take on Sunderland in what should be a one sided game at Stamford Bridge.

Sunderland did play well on their last trip to the capital as they frustrated an attacking Tottenham Hotspur side at White Hart Lane, recording a 1-1 draw in North London on Tuesday night and they would be delighted if Asamoah Gyan can get on the score sheet at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea do have their injury problems as Frank Lampard will be sidelined for a further three weeks after he picked a muscle injury in training, while the Blues will also be without midfielder Michael Essien, who was sent off in their midweek win against Fulham.

Despite these absentees, Chelsea will be confident of picking up all three points after they put seven goals past Sunderland in their last meeting.

It is difficult to see Sunderland getting anything out of this one as they have won only one of their last 24 matches away from the Stadium of Light and Chelsea are expected to win comfortably (Chelsea 8/15 to be winning at half-time and full-time).

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Rio to get stuck into Toffees

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Rio Ferdinand has been declared fit to return to the Manchester United first-team (11/5 – Premiership Outright) after he came through 45 minutes of the reserve-team’s 2-1 win against Oldham in the Manchester Senior Cup tie at Stalybridge on Wednesday.

The 31-year-old central defender has not played since picking up a serious knee ligament injury following a collision with Emile Heskey ahead of England’s World Cup opener against the United States in South Africa in early June.

However, despite Sir Alex Ferguson initially ruling Ferdinand out until the end of September, his excellent progress saw him pitched in to face the Latics for a second string run-out.

United reserve-team boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was very pleased with Ferdinand’s display and sees no reason why he cannot come into contention to face Everton in the Premier League on September 11.

“Rio is always the same player,” said Solskjaer. “It is a while since he has played but he was still calm.

“He has get through an important 45 minutes, straight after two very hard training sessions yesterday and the day before so we are delighted with him.”

Solskjaer also played down any fears of a setback when Ferdinand went off at half time, claiming it was always planned he would not play the full match after near three months out of action.

“Today was about distances and getting tighter to the ball. Now he is available for selection again,” he added.

Ferguson will be overjoyed to have Ferdinand back into contention for selection as United get their Champions League campaign (United 8/1 – Outright) underway against Glasgow Rangers on September 14.

England boss Fabio Capello will no doubt also be keeping a close eye on the player’s developments given that he is already set to miss their opening two Euro 2012 qualifiers against Bulgaria (England 3/10, Bulgaria 8/1, Draw 10/3 – 90 Minutes) and Switzerland this week.

However if Ferdinand works his way back to full fitness he will be an important part of the Italian’s plans to try and ensure the Three Lions qualify (England 1/12 – To Qualify) for the tournament in two years’ time.

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