Everton Preview

If we didn't have such a huge game next week, we would probably be describing this match as one we needed to win in order to achieve our ambitions of finishing in the top 10. But, the fact is that we do have a huge game next week, so to be brutally honest I'm none too fussed about the result of this one.
Any Charlton fan in their right mind would swap a defeat tomorrow for a win up at The Riverside and the players will be thinking a similar sort of thing I'm sure. The injury that Young sustained at Upton Park goes to show that you are only ever one bad tackle away from missing the biggest game of your season, and nobody else will want to be on the treatment table when Operation Riverside takes place on the 12th.

Curbishley will bring Spector in for Young and is likely to stick to the flat back four, whereas Rommedahl will likely drop out of the first team in favour of Jerome Thomas. Marcus Bent will start up front against his former club, and the official site has dropped a hint that perhaps Darren Bent is due a rest. I don't think I can blame them for that. What is the point of him picking up a calf strain or something stupid like that so close to next week? With Marcus Bent already cup-tied, if we lost Darren aswell we would be looking at a front two of Bothroyd and Bartlett up at Boro. Hmm. Yep, I think it's safe to say that we shouldn't risk our top scorer in this one.

From Everton's point of view this campaign started disastrously, but has got better and better for them the longer it has gone on. After 12 defeats from their first 19 games, 8 victories from their next 13 has seen the club rise from 17th to 10th in the league, and a couple of their players still have their sights set on a place in Europe again. They are always difficult to break down but if the truth is to be told, playing Everton is normally a dull affair at both ends of the pitch.

Their form away from home is pretty similar to ours. They have obtained 18 points on the road so far this term, and yet scored only 11 goals from their 16 away games. Just goes to prove the way that they like to play really, nick something, and then hope to hang onto it.

Village idiot Mark Lawrenson thinks that Everton are going to snatch this one 2-1. I think that we will get a late point.

Cynic Athletic's Prediction - 1-1 Draw (Thomas - Beattie)