Everton will face up against Premier League rivals Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium this Saturday in the FA Cup fifth round.
The last time the two sides met ended in a thrilling but controversial 3-3 draw, which was perhaps the start of Everton’s underwhelming run of form which saw them produce three draws in three games, all against teams in the bottom half of the table. These draws were followed by defeats against the likes of Stoke, Leicester and Swansea.
Roberto Martinez believes the Toffees can make a concerted effort to go all the way to Wembley after seeing his side reach the semi-finals of the League Cup before crashing out to Manchester City, but states that even winning the FA Cup will not make Everton’s season a success if they finish in the bottom half of the Premier League table.
A top four finish is out of contention for Everton, so a cup run could be their only chance of success this season; if the Blues were to win the F.A Cup, it would be the first piece of silverware since 1995, but Martinez – who guided Wigan to cup victory in 2013 – believes he doesn’t “need to win it” in order to save Everton’s season:
“What we want to do is qualify for a European position, and we are in a position where could do it.”
Everton are currently in 11th position, six points behind Manchester United who currently hold the guaranteed Europa League spot.
Head to head:
The game proves to be a high scoring one if the stats are anything to go by, with a total of 18 goals being scored in the only four meetings between the two clubs. Romelu Lukaku will be determined to continue his fine goalscoring form today, knowing that he has scored in each of his three FA Cup appearances for Everton, as well as netting against Bournemouth in November.
Everton’s away form has been immaculate in the FA Cup in recent years, they have lost just one of their last 12 FA Cup matches away from home (W7 D4 L1). Bournemouth have won just three of 32 meeting against top flight clubs in the FA Cup, with their last win coming in 1984 against Manchester United.
Team News:
John Stones returns for the visitors after missing his sides’ last four matches with a hamstring injury. Tim Howard is also fit again, but may not feature after Roberto Martinez stated that Joel Robles is now Everton’s first choice keeper; The Spaniard earned his place in the starting line-up whilst Howard was out with a knee injury, and had kept three consecutive clean sheets prior to the loss at West Bromwich last weekend.
January signing Oumar Niasse may have to wait for his debut as he is recovering from minor wrist surgery whilst Muhamed Besic is out (hamstring).
For Bournemouth, there are no fresh injury concerns, but long term absentees Max Gradel, Tyrone Mings and Callum Wilson are a long way off returning to the squad. It is unsure who will feature for the hosts, with Eddie Howe confirming he would make changes to his squad, but will leave his selection as a surprise.
