Everton vs Birmingham

 

Everton V Birmingham

 

Saturday, 23^rd January – 15:00 GMT

 

 

Everton

 

FA Cup Progress: BEAT Carlisle (H3-1)

  

With a new year comes a fresh new start and well… that wasn’t possible with Everton as their poor position in the deeper half of the table meant the first quarter at least of 2010 would be spent chasing points. However, Everton have made just about the perfect start after picking up four points from their opening two league fixtures of the year; drawing at Arsenal (2-2) and beating Man City (2-0). The pair of results merit a lot of respect and they round off a seven match unbeaten run for the Toffee’s that stretches back November.

  

It has been a difficult season for everyone involved at the club. David Moyes has had to deal with the Joeleon Lescott saga and so did the players, while the fans have had to endure some terrible performances from their side, but all this appears to be a thing of the past as Everton are showing huge signs of improving, with their draw with Arsenal backed up by a superb 2-0 win at home to Man City. The latter game I watched from start to finish and Everton arguably put in their best shift as a team of the campaign. They had to work extremely hard in defence, they kept their shape when not on the ball and when they did get on the ball they bombed forward at such a pace that it even scared me. The winning margin should have been far greater than two come the end as Everton hit the woodwork twice late one but the three points are all that matters as Everton continue their climb back up the table and back into European contention.

  

Players thrive on positive results and in the early part of the season, Everton, were severely suffering a case of low self-esteem after a dreadful start to the campaign which ended up with them becoming a possible relegation candidate. However, Everton have proved just what a decent run can do to the morale of the camp as David Moyes’ men look to have found a new lease of life since Christmas, and with players arriving back from injury Everton should be the force of old, the force that seen them finish in fifth position last year.

  

From a statistical point of view, the omens are good for Everton after winning on their previous two visits to Goodison Park, the home of Everton. They’ve only lost twice at home all season but were struggling for wins before the visit of Burnley just before the new year. They beat the Claret’s 2-0 and that result, which was their first win in seven games, appears to have been the catalyst for bigger and better thing from Everton ever since as they pulled out two huge performances and results against Arsenal & Man City to stretch their unbeaten run in the league to seven. Their last two home games both went in their favour, both finishing 2-0, and perhaps Goodison is returning to it’s old fortress self?

  

 

Birmingham City

 

FA Cup Progress: BEAT Nottingham Forest (A1-1, H1-0)

  

Birmingham were given the week off after their game with Portsmouth was called off so, in theory anyway, the Birmingham players should be the fresher set of players… but will this extra energy equate into FA Cup progression as they will need to work their socks off just to get a result at Goodison Park, the home of a rejuvenated Everton. City did, however, hold Everton to a 1-1 draw back in December but they’ll be gunning for the victory this time around as neither side will want to play yet another fixture on top of the crucial games they still have to play in the Premiership. 

 

A draw wouldn’t be the end of the world for Birmingham but it would still be a hindrance. Birmingham are flying high in the league; unbeaten in twelve and sat rather cosily in eighth position. In fact, Birmingham are just five points adrift of the Champions League placed which just goes to show how far the club has come since the start of the season. However, this rich vein of success that the club is enjoying at present is due to the supremely high confidence levels of the players after this mesmerizing run of form, but soon enough their record breaking run will come to an end and defeat at Goodison could send the club into a downward spiral, which is why getting at least a draw at Goodison Park is so important as it could have a lasting effect on their Premiership season

 

Birmingham haven’t lost an away outing since they were knocked out of the Carling Cup by Sunderland back in September. The club then went on a three match losing streak and it took a 2-1 victory at home to Sunderland to repair the damage and stop the rut. Birmingham have since gone on a twelve match unbeaten run but that defeat in the Carling Cup proved that Birmingham can instantly be drained of confidence after a defeat. At the moment they are flying-high, with even the country’s finest coming unstuck against them, but Birmingham will definitely meet their match on Saturday as Everton have raced through the gears in recent weeks and look a side more than capable of ending Birmingham’s unbeaten and confidence booming run.

  

For the time being anyway, Birmingham have a group of players playing out of their skin and are full of confidence. They have plenty of momentum, far more than Everton in fact, and are more than capable themselves of recording another big result. After all, they’ve won three of their last four away fixtures in the league, beating Wolves (0-1), Wigan (2-3) and Stoke City (0-1). However, slap bang in the middle of this winning run was a 1-1 draw with their Saturday opponents, Everton, and so the Toffee’s proved that Birmingham are stoppable but actually beating a tough, stubborn and robust Birmingham was still a step too far for them, at the time…

 

  

 

Match Verdict: Everton to WIN – 1.87 Boylesports

 

We really fancy Everton’s chances after watching their latest performances. They were unbelievably good away at Arsenal and deserved more than just a draw, while they were in a rampant mood at home to Man City last weekend, winning 2-0 in a game they should have scored several more. In attack is where Everton have looked far more lively in recent weeks, especially Steven Pienaar who has now scored in his last two outings. Everton are now getting forward not only at an alarming rate but also in large numbers, and it appears David Moyes is no longer setting his side up in a negative manner and is duly reaping the rewards. Also, the only goals Everton have conceded in 270 minutes of play were the two at The Emirates, but yet even those two goals were due to bad luck on Everton’s part as they were nasty deflections.

  

Everton are playing so much better now and are rapidly building up ahead of steam and a positive run in the cup, continuing with a victory over Birmingham, would go some to way to apologising to the fans for their abysmal showing in the first part of the season.

 

 

 

Match Odds:

 

Everton – 1.87 Boylesports

Draw – 3.50 SkyBet

Birmingham City – 4.50 PaddyPower

 

 

SoccerBetting Value Tip: Everton to WIN to NIL – 3.10 PaddyPower

 

 

Everton V Birmingham City

 

Sunday 20^th December – 15:00 GMT

 

 

Everton

 

League Position: 15th

Recent Form: LLLDD

 

 

This is a big game for David Moyes and Everton, although those words will be uttered before every game until Everton find some safe ground and somehow steer themselves away from the relegation zone, with the Toffee’s currently just a single point off Wolves who occupy the closest of three relegation spots. However, what stands in front of them is a Birmingham side on top of their game and so Everton will need to raise theirs significantly if they are to take anything out of this fixture.

 

 

 

Everton may have had no Premiership ties to concern themselves with in midweek but they did have a Europa League outing to contend with, albeit on Merseyside. As our previews are written up prior to Thursday’s news, we have no idea on how they performed nor who started for Everton, but the Toffee’s were assured of a last sixteen spot before that fixture and we would like to think that David Moyes did rest several key players ahead of this key clash with Birmingham on Sunday.

 

 

 

As far as the league goes, Everton have been in dreadful form all season, winning four games in sixteen attempts. They are, however, unbeaten in two outings and their confidence will have been boosted by their valiant efforts at Stamford Bridge the previous weekend. Everton’s efforts didn’t go unrewarded, as David Moyes watched on as his team of underachievers overachieved for once in earning a valuable and creditable point, drawing 3-3 with the league leaders. Everton had previously fought back at home to Tottenham Hotspur, clawing back a 2-0 deficit to draw 2-2-, so perhaps David Moyes has installed some fighting qualities back into the Everton dressing room.

 

 

At Goodison Park this season, Everton have been well below par, managing just two wins in eight. Those rare sightings of an Everton victory at Goodison have probably been long forgotten as they did occur so long ago, way back in September, and Everton have now gone five home games without a win, drawing four and losing one. However, if you’re desperate for a shinging light then Everton fans look no further than this – Not only have Everton scored in all but one of their eight home fixtures this season (the 2-0 defeat to Liverpool being the only one) but Everton have never lost to Birmingham at home in the league, unbeaten in four meetings at Goodison Park, although three of them finished all square.

 

 

Birmingham City

 

League Position: 7th

Recent Form: WWWWW

 

 

Birmingham City put their unbeaten run of eight games to the test this Sunday when they travel to Merseyside to face an Everton side well below par. However, in four visits to Goodison Park, Birmingham have never beaten Everton in a Premiership fixture but their 2-1 victory over Blackburn in midweek set a new club record of five successive wins so Alex McLeish and Birmingham are all for re-writing the record books.

 

 

 

After watching Birmingham in their opening few encounters, we were pretty confident that they would be alright for the season. However, not even we envisaged that Alex McLeish would guide Birmingham to not only an unbeaten run of eight games but also one of five successive wins, a club record in the Premiership. However, although Birmingham have avoided defeat in three away game along the way, this will be a huge test of character for the players as they’re facing an Everton side desperate for any points they can get their hands on.

 

 

 

The foundations for Birmingham’s rich vein of form has been from a solid back line, although this has had a negative affect at the other end. Thus far, Joe Hart has only conceded 17 goals in the Birmingham goal, but the strikers, due to Alex McLeish’s defensive thinking, have only managed 18 in return, one of the worst offensive records in the league. However, it’s been a successful formula for McLeish and that’s all that matters in the current climate and this hugely beneficial run of eight games unbeaten has seen Birmingham stretch the gap between themselves and the relegation zone to 11 points.

 

 

 

Defending is their best attribute but on the road has been where they’ve been more vulnerable in defence, conceding seven more than they have at St. Andrews. Still, they boast a far better away defensive record than even Liverpool, a team that didn’t concede against Everton at Goodison Park only a few weeks ago. Birmingham’s away record this season currently stands at 3-1-4, but they are unbeaten in three away outings and are on a hot away streak of two successive wins so the confidence within the camp will remain high, especially as they’ve already been to Merseyside once this season and came back without any scars, drawing 2-2 with Liverpool, a team struggling this season but still performing a whole lot better than Everton.

 

 

Birmingham’s form is great and the players attitudes on the pitch is a credit to Alex McLeish, but this really will be a tester for them and we do have reservations, for one reason or another. IN their last away encounter, a 3-2 victory at Wigan, they were non-existent for large parts of the game and a dormant spell like that at Goodison Park won’t go unpunished. A bright start is needed, much alike to the one we seen on Tuesday night, if Birmingham want to stretch their unbeaten run to nine games.

 

 

 

Head-to-Head (Last 10):

 

Everton W: 3 Birmingham City W: 0 Draws: 5

 

Draws have been the norm in this fixture but what’s more concerning from a Birmingham fans perspective is that their side have never beaten Everton in Premiership fixture. In eight failed attempts since 2002, Birmingham have only picked up three points (Three draws), with Everton dominating with five wins. Also. Birmingham’s last visit to Goodison Park didn’t go too well when they lost 3-1 back in 2007.

 

 

There have been five draws in previous meetings and four of them have finished 1-1, with the one exception being a 0-0 draw at Goosion in 2006. Also, in the eight encounters, just one has finished with three goals or more (7 Under 2.5, 1 Over 2.5).

 

 

 

Match Verdict: Everton to WIN – 1.85 Expekt.com

 

We quite like the odds of Everton spoiling Birmingham’s run of eight games unbeaten just because it would be so typical of them to pluck out a big win after a horrific run of bad results. David Moyes didn’t have to take his thin squad too far when they took on Bate Borisov on Thursday night. We expect a few of his youngsters to start on the night and that should pave the way for those who ar3e fresh in the squad to put in a stand out performance on Sunday. Birmingham will be a tough proposition, but will the players start to relax now that they are in the top ten and have a comfortable margin between themselves and the bottom three. Everton, however, are much closer to danger and are desperate not just points but all three and we feel they will grab all the spoils in this contest.

 

 

 

Match Odds:

 

Everton – 1.85 Expekt.com

Draw – 3.50 SkyBet

Birmingham City – 4.60 WilliamHill

 

 

SoccerBetting Value Tip: Louis Saha FGS – 9/2 Bet365