A highly-anticipated all-Premier League clash in the fifth round of the FA Cup takes place on Wednesday as Everton welcome Tottenham Hotspur to Goodison Park.
The hosts head into this bout after rescuing a draw at Manchester United, while Tottenham comfortably returned to winning ways over West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League's weekend matches.
Match preview
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Carlo Ancelotti was understandably lost for words after Everton's pulsating 3-3 draw with Man United at the weekend, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin poking home in the fifth minute of injury time to rescue a point for the Toffees at Old Trafford.
Despite managing to win just one of their last four Premier League matches, Ancelotti's side are firmly in the hunt for a Champions League berth and are only three points behind bitter rivals Liverpool having played two fewer matches, but their recent form has been wholly inconsistent to say the least.
A below-par Toffees team needed extra time to overcome Rotherham United in the third round of the FA Cup, but Ancelotti's side had no such problems against Sheffield Wednesday last time out as they cruised to a 3-0 triumph over the Championship outfit to set up a tie with Tottenham.
By advancing to the fifth round of the tournament, Everton have already achieved their best finish since the 2015-16 campaign - where Man United knocked them out in the last four - and Ancelotti can afford to go for broke before the visit of a relegation-threatened Fulham at the weekend.
The Goodison Park faithful would love nothing more than for Ancelotti to mark his impressive start to life at Everton with a piece of silverware, and they can feel confident about their chances of giving Tottenham an excellent run for their money given the visitors' recent spell of form.
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Jose Mourinho could not deny that Tottenham depend on Harry Kane after the striker's return inspired the North London outfit to victory over West Bromwich Albion on Sunday lunchtime.
The England captain marked his comeback with a goal and witnessed his strike partner Son Heung-min also find the back of the net on the day, as a 2-0 victory ended Spurs' three-game losing run in the Premier League after a torrid fortnight.
Mourinho had been forced to watch his side lose to Brighton & Hove Albion and Chelsea without Kane leading the line, but the talisman's quicker-than-expected return has lifted the spirits of everyone at the club as Spurs look to keep their pursuit of a top-four spot alive.
This week's visitors to Goodison Park have already struck nine times in the 2020-21 FA Cup after crushing victories at Marine and Wycombe Wanderers, although they were not all that convincing for the first 80 minutes against the latter, and Mourinho will not be prepared to accept any complacency given that Spurs could have a prime opportunity to end their 13-year trophy drought this season.
Calvert-Lewin's header condemned Spurs to a 1-0 defeat when the two clubs locked horns in the Premier League back in September, but Everton have not beaten the capital outfit on home turf since the 2012-13 Premier League season.
Everton FA Cup form: WW
Everton form (all competitions): WWDLWD
Tottenham Hotspur FA Cup form: WW
Tottenham Hotspur form (all competitions): WWLLLW
Team News
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Everton's first-choice goalkeeper Jordan Pickford continues to struggle with a rib injury and may not return in time for this game, which would mean another start for the equally unconvincing Robin Olsen.
James Rodriguez came off with a tight calf at Old Trafford and may not be risked in this fixture, while Allan is back in training but not ready to return to the Goodison Park turf just yet.
Seamus Coleman, Yerry Mina and Alex Iwobi could all be among an expected reshuffle from Ancelotti this week, but Joshua King is unavailable having already featured for Bournemouth in this season's tournament.
It remains to be seen if Mourinho will be willing to risk Kane twice in the space of a week, especially with Manchester City to come at the weekend, so Carlos Vinicius may be chosen to spearhead the Tottenham attack.
Dele Alli would be expected to earn some minutes this weekend but remains doubtful with a tendon problem, while it is still too soon for Sergio Reguilon or Giovani Lo Celso to return to the fold, and Serge Aurier is uncertain with a calf issue.
Eric Dier was dropped to face West Brom after giving away a penalty in the defeat to Chelsea but could return here, while Gareth Bale and Steven Bergwijn will both hope to impress out wide after underwhelming displays in recent matches.
Everton possible starting lineup:
Olsen; Coleman, Mina, Holgate, Digne; Gomes, Doucoure; Iwobi, Sigurdsson, Richarlison; Calvert-Lewin
Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:
Hart; Doherty, Dier, Rodon, Davies; Winks, Sissoko; Bale, Ndombele, Bergwijn; Vinicius
We say: Everton 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur (a.e.t)
Tottenham boast an incredibly strong record in this fixture, but Everton have already come up trumps in one meeting with Spurs this season and will be desperate to make it two with a shot at silverware on the line. Kane's involvement from the first whistle is still up in the air, and we do not expect the two teams to be separated after 90 minutes, but Mourinho's men should have enough firepower to claim a hard-fought win in extra time.
Top betting tip
Ben Knapton
