Everton V Tottenham Hotspur odds

Everton V Tottenham Hotspur

Kick-off: Wednesday, 5th January – 20:00 (GMT)
Venue: Goodison Park
Previous Meeting: Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Everton (23 Oct, 2010)

Everton

With Tim Cahill no longer at his disposal, with the Aussie currently in Qatar for the AFC Asian Cup, David Moyes is forced to face up to his striking issue and pledge some faith in one of his ailing forwards. Cahill has top-scorer for Everton in the league this season with nine goals, accounting for nearly half of the Toffees’ goals thus far, and without his nine strikes Everton would almost certainly be relegation occupants right now as opposed to 13th and three points above the dreaded drop zone.

So who will step up to the plate in his absence? That’s the question the fans are asking manager David Moyes, who is probably asking himself the very same question. The Scot will say he’s given all of his forwards (Beckford, Saha & Yakubu) a fair crack at the whip this season, which he has to some degree, but he’s been far too fickle for our liking. Apart from Jermaine Beckford, who featured prominently earlier in the campaign, neither Louis Saha or Yakubu has had a regular run of games, so how on earth are they supposed to get a bit of rhythm together? But with funds tight and Moyes reduced to loan signings, and with Cahill unavailable for around six to eight weeks, there is no time like the present to take a gamble on one of the aforementioned strikers raising their game in this month of need for Everton, who should no-one chip in with some valuable goals in Cahill’s absence will find themselves in a whole heap of bother down near the foot of the table.

This really is desperate times for David Moyes and Everton, a club renowned for their sluggish starts to league campaigns, but on this occasion they really will need to go some if they’re to meet their own targets of qualifying for European football next season. I don’t see them getting anywhere near the top-six if I’m honest, but then again it has been a season where string a few results together and you’re right up there with the big boys. However, you need to be winning games in order to mix it with the European wannabe’s, and to win games you need to be scoring goals, something Everton haven’t been doing all season.

Eliminate Cahill’s nine goals and you have an Everton team with twelve goals to their name, and a team without their linchpin, their leader and inspiration. So what are you left with? Not a great deal in fairness. Steven Pienaar and Mikel Arteta have bucket loads of talent, though the former is eager to move to pastures new while the latter has been non-existent all season. Chuck in a depleted defence, one without Seamus Coleman, Johnny Heitinga or Phil Jagielka, and you really are fearing the worst for the Toffees.

The one bright light for Everton supporters is that your team has raised their game admirably in the crunch clashes, with Arsenal being the only team currently situated inside the top-five in the Premier League to have recorded a win over the Toffees. Then again, Spurs have been a nemesis of theirs for some time now, with Everton’s last league win at Goodison Park over Tottenham coming way back in 2004, while over two months have passed since the Everton fans last celebrated a league victory on home soil – four matches at Goodison without winning.

Tottenham Hotspur

There has been talk of David Beckham embracing White Hart Lane with his presence on a two month loan deal, with Spurs boss Harry Redknapp hoping to romance the experienced pro into a temporary move back to the Premier League with the league’s surprise title challenges. But it isn’t as though the Spurs faithful are in need of a lift – the club sailed through to the latter stages of the Champions League while they’re fourth in the Premier League and looking every inch a dark horse in both competitions, while Harry should be wary tinkering with what is clearly a winning formula.

If I was a Spurs fans, and believe me I wish I was right now, then I would be deeply concerned with the noise which can be heard at White Hart Lane just as the transfer window opens. Reports suggest that Harry is in the market for another marque player, a superstar if you like, when all he really needs is to strengthen his squad by adding cover, some further depth to what is already a very impressive squad. Apart from perhaps the defence, one which went seventeen games without keeping a clean sheet in the league before back-to-back shut-outs either side of the New Year in victories over Newcastle United and Fulham, there isn’t a great deal I would change.

Rafael Van Der Vaart, Spurs’ top scorer this season with eight in the league, has been a sensation since joining on deadline day in the summer, a player who compliments Luka Modric, Aaron Lennon and Gareth Bale in midfield, a midfield quartet to rival all others in the Premier League in my opinion. The latter, Gareth Bale, was the player of 2010, without a doubt, and it was his two strikes against Newcastle and Fulham which sealed two vitally important wins at White Hart Lane in two very testing encounters. Now the pair of them, Van Der Vaart and Bale, must combine to deadly effect at Goodison Park, where Spurs have not lost in over six years, in order for Tottenham to stretch their winning streak to four games, what would be their longest sequence of wins in the Premiership this term and in the knowledge that Harry Redknapp has several proven match winners in his ranks, you’d be foolish to back against his charges adding to Everton’s woes, whom recently suffered their first defeat in over a month and will be without their biggest goal threat in top-scorer Tim Cahill.

It’s unbelievable to think that all Tottenham were missing in their jigsaw was Michael Dawson. The England international has returned from a long injury lay-off to devastating effect, keeping back-to-back clean sheets in his last two starts at centre-half. Before his reemergence into the fray, Spurs were leaking goals on a regular, disconcerting basis. Now they have two shut-outs under their belts in quick succession, it takes all that pressure off the team and enables the forwards to really stretch their legs. And what’s more, they’ll find themselves up against one of the league’s biggest underachievers on Wednesday night, an opponent whose demise has centred around a lack of potency in front of goal.

If I’m not mistaken, a clear formula has arisen. A Spurs side who create chances for fun and seemingly put them away with similar ease, up against an Everton side lacking in confidence and without their biggest goal threat in Tim Cahill, it really does spell only one thing, a Tottenham victory. Throw in Tottenham’s record at Goodison Park in the league, which reads two wins and three draws in their last five visits, along with their remarkable form – unbeaten in their last nine in the league, eleven in all competitions, and victorious in two of their last three away league fixtures – and Spurs almost look too good to be true considering their odds to win Wednesday’s Merseyside clash.

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Last 5 Results

Everton

Premier League: Stoke City 2-0 Everton
Premier League: West Ham 1-1 Everton
Premier League: Manchester City 1-2 Everton
Premier League: Everton 0-0 Wigan Athletic
Premier League: Chelsea 1-1 Everton

Tottenham Hotspur

Premier League: Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Fulham
Premier League: Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Newcastle United
Premier League: Aston Villa 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur
Premier League: Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Chelsea
Champions League: FC Twente 3-3 Tottenham Hotspur

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Head-to-Head (Last 5 Seasons)

2010/2011: Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Everton

2009/2010: Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Everton
2009/2010: Everton 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur

2008/2009: Everton 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur
2008/2009: Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 Everton

2007/2008: Everton 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur
2007/2008: Tottenham Hotspur 1-3 Everton

2006/2007: Everton 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur
2006/2007: Tottenham Hotspur 0-2 Everton

2005/2006: Everton 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur
2005/2006: Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Everton

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2010/2011 Premier League Statistics

Everton

League Position: 13th
Win-Draw-Lose: 4-10-6 (Home: 2-4-3)
Form: DDWDL (Home: WDLLD)
Goal Difference: 21-24 (Home: 10-12)
Top Scorer: Tim Cahill (9)

Tottenham Hotspur

League Position: 4th
Win-Draw-Lose: 10-6-4 (Away: 6-4-1)
Form: DDWWW (Away: LLWDW)
Goal Difference: 30-23 (Away: 13-14)
Top Scorer: Rafael Van Der Vaart (8)

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Betting Odds & Tips

Match Prediction: Draw – 3.30 PaddyPower

In one of those strange and bizarre voodoo’s, Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has only ever left Merseyside the winning manager on one previous occasion in 27 visits. An incredible statistic when you sit down and think about it, but I remember Spurs went something like 68 matches away from home without beating one of the traditional ‘Big Four’ and Redknapp mastermined a stunning victory at Arsenal’s Emirates stadium earlier in the campaign to end that barren run, so, what with this Spurs side as good as it currently is, even a spooky statistic like the one which has clouded Harry for so long might not be enough to keep an in-form Spurs side down.

The thing with Everton is they’re a spirited bunch, a team that when their backs are up against the wall, tend to come out fighting. There will be no Tim Cahill, which is a massive loss, but it could prove a blessing in disguise as now everyone will need to work doubly hard over the next month or so to make up for his absence, his lack of courage and leadership in the centre of the park as well as his crucial goals.

We mentioned at the end of the Tottenham preview that they come across as too good to be true, so with Jermaine Defoe and Younes Kaboul out injured for them, as well as Alan Hutton and William Gallas both doubts meaning Redknapp has a bit of a defensive crisis on his hands, I reckon this could end in another stalemate. Were this match to finish all-square then it would be the fourth Goodison Park meeting in a row where there has been nothing to split the two – I reckon that’s a solid enough statistic to base an arguement on, as well as the half-a-dozen others highlighted above.

Match Odds:

Everton – 2.70 BetFred
Draw – 3.30 Paddy Power
Tottenham Hotspur – 2.80 William Hill

Everton V Tottenham Hotspur

Kick-off: Sunday 6^th December – 16:00 GMT

Venue: Goodison Park

Everton

League Position: 16th

Recent Form: DWLLL

A poor season just got worse over the weekend when Liverpool, a team suffering a lull in form themselves, etched their first Merseyside victory of the season in a 2-0 defeat of Everton at Goodison Park on Sunday. With Everton now languishing down in 16^th position, just three points off the bottom three, it’s vitally important that Everton at least put some points on the board against Tottenham as defeat could very well see them spend the remainder of the week in the relegation zone.

Not many thought Everton’s season could get much worse after their home drubbing on the opening day of the season to Arsenal, being humbled 6-1, and matters on the pitch did begin improve slightly during mid September – early October, but a four match unbeaten run consisting of two wins and two draws has been their highlight thus far in what has been a drab season to date.

With the defeat to Liverpool on Sunday, Everton have now lost three successive games in the league. Two of those were away from home, but a hapless run like that can only hinder morale within any dressing room and with Everton’s clearly at a serious low already, God only knows how the players are coping through this critical part of the season for the club. If they aren’t careful then the relegation zone could beckon and a tough fixture with Spurs certainly isn’t what they need right now. However, a win could be the kick in backside they need but after a lengthy trip to Greece in midweek, will the players be fresh enough to beat a dangerous Tottenham side?

At Goodison Park this season, Everton’s record stands at 2-3-2, with their only victories at home coming against Blackburn Rovers (3-0) and Wigan Athletic (2-1). However, a big concern is that sides like Wolves and Stoke City have walked away from Goodison with a share of the spoils and those were teams Everton would have beaten last season, no questions asked. This season, however, Everton are clearly struggling, especially in the absence of Joeleon Lescott. Everton are known for being fairly solid throughout the pitch but several absentee’s has sparked a massive lull in form. The defence without Lescott has conceded 25 goals already this season, while the midfield has lost the ability to dictate the play, with Phil Neville’s ability to cancel out opposing attacks a big miss.

Everton have an injury list as long as their arm so it’s no surprise that their struggling for results. Phil Jagielka was arguably the star at the back for Everton until he ruptured a cruciate ligament, while Everton fans are desperate to see Mikel Arteta back in action. Phil Neville looks set to miss yet another fixture for the Toffee’s while Joseph Yobo is also a doubt. It’s time when the boys need to become men and with David Moyes often resorting to using some of Everton’s younger crop, this old cliché could come into affect on Sunday.

Tottenham Hotspur

League Position: 3rd

Recent Form: LLWWD

They may as well name the Carling Cup after Tottenham Hotspur as they are generally the most consistent team in recent competitions, however, this wasn’t the case on Tuesday night as Spurs crashed out of their first domestic cup this season, a cup which Spurs have shown many respects in recent seasons so their exit will leave a bitter taste around the Tottenham camp this week. The draw with Aston Villa on Saturday was a decent result if you failed to watch the game but we just so happen to get a brief viewing and Spurs should have won so it’ll be interesting to see how Spurs recover before their trip to struggler, Everton.

We’ll start with Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Aston Villa, a game we feel they pretty much dominated. They conceded an early goal, a scruffy one at that, but Spurs did exceptionally well to recover and absolutely battered Villa in the second half, creating chance after chance. At times it was just like watching a training game, attack versus defence, and Tottenham’s persistence did pay off, albeit slightly virtuously via a Matt Dawson stunner. It was no more then Spurs deserved but were they more clinical in the final third, which they have been in general this season, then they would have won that game.

Although the point at Villa probably wasn’t as satisfactory for Harry Redknapp as it should have been, Tottenham’s performance certainly was. We thought they were sublime. They kept hold of the ball, passed it all around the pitch, their off-the-ball movement was good, their ability to carve open a pretty strong Villa defence was a joy to watch, whilst they created chances with ease. Our only criticism was their lack of composure in the final third. However, their performance did reiterate how far the club in such a short space of time and they really are rapidly becoming a very good little outfit under the guidance of Redknapp.

Spurs actually did alright on Tuesday at Old Trafford, but United were far more clinical then Spurs, the second time Tottenham have come out second in a clinical battle. Spurs did have their chances, which they fluffed.. again, and that will be a concern as Tottenham were looking very potent in attack. Still, the quality up front still remains, the leagues top goalscorer in Jermaine Defoe (11), a reliable Robbie Keane (6), and a sensational and pacey winger in Aaron Lennon, whose pace and trickery often leaves a full-back dead on the spot. Niko Kranjcar has been a worthy accustion, not only aiding and creating chances but also chipping in with a few, also, while Tom Huddlestone provides a defensive blanket over the defence. They are now so much more solid but yet a hundred times more deadly in attack.

Tottenham’s away form this season does need improving, though, if they want to be considered serious top four contenders this season. 3-2-2 is how it looks thus far but we must mention that both those defeats did come in London at Chelsea & Arsenal. However, we must also mention that their victories have come over the league poorest outfits this season; West Ham United (1-2), Hull City (1-5) and Portsmouth (1-2). All three are struggling at the bottom of the league so Spurs have generally come unstuck against any sort of quality when on the road, which, although Everton are lacking in confidence, are still a half-decent opponent so Spurs will need to up their game ahead of their Goodison enocunter.

Head-to-Head (Last 10):

Everton W: 3 Tottenham Hotspur W: 5 Draws: 2

Draws haven’t been a familiar outcome when these two have clashed but, although Tottenham do edge the head-to-head counter, it’s Everton who have faired better in recent meetings, winning two and drawing two of the previous four clashes. However, funnily enough, Everton haven’t beaten Tottenham at Goodison in five attempts, with Tottenham drawing on their previous two visits to Merseyside while they did record victories the previous two seasons.

April, 2004, was the last time Everton recorded a home win over Spurs so they’ll be eager to make up for lost time. Tottenham, however, will look to build on a four match unbeaten run at Goodison Park. The last two encounters at Goodison Park have finished 0-0, while the previous five fixtures at Everton haven’t featured too many goals, all in fact ending in Under 2.5 Goals.

Match Verdict:- Draw – 3.40 Boylesports

We will sit on the fence in this encounter as we expect Tottenham’s superior form to be cancelled out by Everton’s home advantage. Against Liverpool last Sunday, Everton were the better team but failed to create too many clear cut chances. Tottenham, however, dominated in the second half against Villa and should have scored more then just the one goal. However, neither found the net as many times as they should of last weekend so a similar outcome wouldn’t be at all surprising this Sunday. A big negative for Everton, though, was their Wednesday nigh clash in Greece, winning 1-0 against AEK Athens, although, Tottenham were in action 24 hours earlier in a 2-0 defeat to United. A win in Greece and a defeat in Manchester sort of cancel each other out in a weird and distance travelled way so, if my betting calculations are correct, a draw is on the cards here, although, we actually can’t see Everton losing, for one reason or another.

Match Odds:

Everton – 2.80 WilliamHill

Draw – 3.40 Boylesports

Tottenham Hotspur – 2.65 Expekt

SoccerBetting Value Tip: Draw/Draw (Half-Time/Full-Time) – 5.50 SkyBet