A poor pitch and a team desperately fighting for Premier League survival saw Everton have to battle for a result at Loftus Road last weekend.
David Moyes was reasonably happy to take a point off Mark Hughes’ QPR, extending his side’s unbeaten run to eight games in all competitions. He’ll be feeling confident of extending that run this Saturday against a Spurs side which has managed just one win and five goals in their last six away games in all competitions, including FA Cup ties against lower league sides Watford and Stevenage.
The biggest positive of the draw with QPR was seeing the likes of Seamus Coleman, Nikica Jelavic and Leon Osman coming off the bench following spells on the sideline with injury. Coleman scored in last season’s home win over Spurs and if he starts he could be worth a bet at 16/1 to score first and 6/1 anytime. David Moyes now has some depth to his squad and a strong finish to the season is very much on the cards. If Jelavic isn’t deemed fit enough to start this weekend then the increasingly impressive Denis Stracqualursi is worth backing at 15/2 to score first against a Spurs defence which has leaked nine goals in their last three games.
Everton have a habit of playing better against the bigger sides and with Spurs going through a sticky patch at the moment they will be looking to do more than hold on for a plucky draw. An Everton win is 7/5 and a repeat of last season’s 2-1 is 17/2.
With plenty of options, an unbeaten run to protect and home field advantage Everton look good to be pitch perfect this weekend. Okay, forget the rubbish puns. Everton are a great bet to win this weekend as Spurs title challenge receives the final nail in its coffin.