English FA CUP
2012-02-18 - Everton vs Blackpool
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: FA Cup 5th Round
Saturday 18 February 2012 - Kick Off 3pm
Everton
I am the biggest advocate of David Moyes being offered the Tottenham Hotspur job if Harry Redknapp decides to move on to England and I think he is a far more qualified candidate than Jurgen Klinsmann who was linked with the post last weekend. Moyes can only bulk up his CV if he can add some silverware to his time at Goodison Park and he must feel this is as good a chance as any with Manchester United and Manchester City out of the tournament.
Everton continue punching above their weight under Moyes while the finances at the club remain in a rotten state and do not allow the club to get back to the power they were in the 1980's. There has to be a point when Moyes thinks he has taken this club as far as he can, with a top half finish this season being looked at as an achievement. Everton are 5-3-5 at home this season in the Premier League, but they have also beaten Tamworth and Fulham here in the FA Cup.
The side are unbeaten in their last 6 games in all competitions following a defeat at Spurs in the League, and they should have plenty of confidence from winning 3 of their last 4, including here against Manchester City and Chelsea. The Toffees have won 4 in a row at Goodison Park since a surprise 1-2 reversal against Bolton Wanderers in early January.
Landon Donovon has now returned to the LA Galaxy following another loan spell here, while Steven Pienaar is cup-tied after playing for Spurs in the 3rd Round. There are doubts surrounding Seamus Coleman, Phil Jagielka, Leon Osman, Jack Rodwell and Nikica Jelavic.
Blackpool
It is no surprise that Ian Holloway's name was linked, albeit briefly, with the job vacancy at Wolves as he continues getting the best out of his Blackpool side that entertained so many in the Premier League last season. Holloway has not deviated from his methods as the Seasiders continue playing an attacking brand of football that has put them in the mix for automatic promotion back to the top flight.
Blackpool are 4th in the Championship table and find themselves just 4 points from Southampton in the automatic promotion spots, all of which means the FA Cup is definitely a secondary concern for the side. The team also face a big top of the table clash against West Ham during the week which may take away some of the focus from this game. Blackpool are 5-6-5 away from home in the League and have won both FA Cup games away from home at Fleetwood and Sheffield Wednesday.
There is no disguising the fact that the team are in fabulous form, going unbeaten in all 10 games they have played in 2012. Of those 10 games, Blackpool have won 7 and have been scoring goals for fun. They have won 4 of their last 5 away games in all competitions, including the last 3 in succession, and Blackpool have scored 16 goals in those 5 games.
As he has done in previous Rounds, I have no doubt that Ian Holloway will rotate his starting line up as the game with West Ham is far more important to him in the grand scheme of things.
Head to Head
These two teams met in two exciting Premier League games last season, including a 5-3 Everton win at Goodison Park after Blackpool had led that game 2-3.
The game at Bloomfield Road ended 2-2.
Prediction
Even though Blackpool are likely to make some wholesale changes to the starting line up in anticipation of the number of Championship games they have left to play, you just know that Ian Holloway will not set his team up in any other way than to attack and give themselves a chance to compete against other sides.
With that in mind, I think they will give Everton a chance to express themselves too and a chance to exploit any gaps that Blackpool do leave in defence. The Toffees have been playing well in recent weeks, but these are the games where they can regularly slip up when the expectation is on them to win.
For that reason, I cannot recommend taking Everton at odds on, but I do like the look of the Overs.
Everton will attack as they are at home against a side from a League below, while we all know that Blackpool are going to send men forward in search of goals.
A replay will not be on the agenda for Blackpool as they already have plenty of games to get through in the Championship, which remains the first priority, and for that reason I do think we are going to see goals in this game.
Their games against one another last season produced 12 goals in the two League games and, while I don't think it will be as high as 8 goals in this one as it was last season here, I can see at least 3 goals on Saturday.
The Pick :
Everton 2-1 Blackpool
