EVERTON V LEICESTER CITY: FA CUP 3RD ROUND (SAT 7 JANUARY 2017 3PM)

[Eggs]

....Leicester doing well in the Champions League so this might also be a welcome distraction for them. They were very poor against us the other week but Huth is back, we shouldn't underestimate them but we can win this competition.

 

[roydo]

Honestly cant see Ranieri risking many of his top players for this.

CL is/was his priority, league position an unwelcome and unexpected addition to his problems.

Unless he reckons FA Cup, CL Win, and relegation has a ring to it.

 

[Professor Toffee]

Well blues....

Christmas is over, most of us are back to work, the traffic is obscene again with the kids back at school, yet some utter weirdos still have their 4 Christmas trees up, their insanely bright and infuriating flashing lights on 24/7 like it's Christmas Eve. Anyways enough of that rubbish, it's FA Cup 3rd Round Weekend!

I love the FA Cup personally and don't quite get all the lack of respect and apathy the dear old trophy gets these days. Last year we went to Wembley. But not for the one that really matters. Some might say that was a successful achievement, but don't for one minute let them off with it. This club needs silverware, this club needs a trophy. And what better way to end this horrendous drought, and replace the utter despondency that came with Anthony Martial's heartbreaking late winner, than with (two) victorious trips back to North London this spring.

First things first......

This Saturday we start our quest to finally end our trophy hoodoo with the visit of the current champions. With that normally comes the trepidation and pessimism that a visit of the reigning champions tends to bring. However that's not really the case this time is it?

Leicester's form has been at best patchy, and to be honest they look a shadow of the side that humbled us around 8 months ago, in doing so, planting one of the final nails into Roberto Martinez's coffin. These come into the game in a lowly 15 position, a full 28 points of the top this year, and in no way safe from relegation. This begs the question as to what sort of starting line up the tinkerman will put out?

Chances are these are likely to make a number of changes and rotate their main men with bigger fish to fry domestically and once the Champions League resumes. Jamie Vardy however is likely to return the side following his unfortunate passing over Christmas..... sorry I mean suspension for a somewhat over zealous challenge. Their new signing Wilfred Ndidi, already being likened to Kante, is in line to make his debut in the centre of the park. Whatever side this lot put out should however put little fear into our bellies. This is no team to be afraid of, and quite frankly their arrogance has become a little annoying.

Onto the Blues. 10 from our last 5 over the festive period has helped settled nerves (including my own bedwetting tendencies) and things are looking a bit more rosy in the garden. We go into the game in a bit of form, and with Goodison looking a little bit more like the fortress we all need it to become once again.

We also go into this with the psychological boost from our boxing day encounter in which we piped down the Bocelli loving, mask waving scruffs with an enjoyable 2-0 win at their gaff. Once we settled in the second half, we looked like we had enough to dispose of them, and thankfully we did. The 3 at the back utilised in that game largely nullified their aerial threat through Slimani and Ulloa and we were relatively comfortable. Here's hoping for something similar.

Oh Gana..... What will we ever do without you?

Well we're gonna find out starting with this on Saturday. Koeman has promised to go as strong with his team selection as he can. And I certainly hope that he does indeed do that.

We are short in the centre of the park with the temporary departure of our African prince but thankfully we have a pretender to the throne in the form of our long haired, low socked, Thomas Davies. You'd expect Tom to partner the more experienced Gareth Barry for this one in the continued absence of James Mccarthy.

At the back, you'd expect the same back 4 that played on Monday with Joel ''keeps clean sheets'' Robles between the Sticks. In attack, well you'd expect Monday's game changer Enner Valencia to support Lukaku in attack with probably Kevin Mirallas on the other flank. Ross was looking much more like the Ross Barkley we all want to see last week too, and hopefully this is sign that Koeman has finally got the penny to drop for him. In the absence of further signings, and with a number of injuries this is probably the best side we can put out, and youngsters will have to be ready to be blooded from the bench.

Everton are going into this as favourites and I even feel myself starting to feel slight tinges of optimism. Please, please, please blues.... don't let this end the way it usually does. Let's get the campaign and route to Wembley off and running in style and finally end what has been too long. I was a small 18 months old when we last won a trophy.

I and a generation of blues have been starved of success for far too long. But surely this is where it's all going to change? We have the new owner. We have talk of a new stadium. We have a top manager. We may not have the desired quality in our playing squad. But these are times to be optimistic. These are times to puff our chest out and be proud of the club we follow.

It's time Everton. It's time for a pot. Into these.....

WE'RE ON THE MARCH.

Nice one Tim, thank you

 

[Deulofeumygod]

First visit to goodison of many hopefully in 2017.

No Lennon pleases me

 

[Armaghtoffee]

Good preview that, sets us up nicely for a 3-0 win.

 

[Groucho]

Oh Gana..... What will we ever do without you?

Omg.

 

[tadpole]

Dear Mr Koeman

We've supported the club through thick and thin, we know what disappointment feels like, and we're desperate to feel the joy of success once again. Please please don't roll the dice with our FA Cup campaign before a ball's even been kicked. What I mean is, don't rest Lukaku. Don't play Cleverley instead of Barkley. And don't mess around too much with our back four.

Much obliged


tadpole

 

[classof87]

Doesn't look like there will be much of a crowd for this one.Went down box office inperson today and got 1 for the park end and was asked where about I would like to sit.Thats usually an indication of low to mid 20s.

 

[Steve Wood]

I'm sure Claudio will be planning the best way we can make an early exit from the competition without losing too much face.
A run in the FA cup is the last thing he wants this year. Shame that the FA cup is so devalued now and am not sure why .... the gates
are usually terrible and I for one have not watched a final for over a decade I would think .. maybe its the saturation football coverage we get today.

 

[blue to the bone]

We are mega rich. Just give who's ever in goal for leicester a zillion quid to drop 3 or 4 in the net. Just to be sure.

 

[ToffeeDan]

I would think that Leicester will bring their second string for this one - so perhaps we can avoid the usual mess up and get into the draw for the fourth round...... alongside Plymouth, West Ham, Preston, Cambridge, Reading, Peterborough and Villa.

 

[degsy]

27th...not much of a number really, not even prime, although it is 3 to the power of 3.

So which will it be?

3-0

0-3
or
3-3 and 3 replays

maybe a hat trick - for them or us

or it might just K.O. at 3

 

[ijjysmith]

Just win the cup Everton yeah?

It's been ages.

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

Really need to win this, or it's season over in January

Hopefully Leicester are focused more on the League and Champions League, and we take advantage to advance onwards

 

[superblue123]

Think we could see 3 at the back return - he likes to play it against counter attacking teams and with Vardy set to come back in +squad players like Musa set to play, it makes sense for us to return to 3 at the back.

On that basis,

Robles
Holgate Funes Williams
Coleman Davies Barry Baines
Barkley
Mirallas Lukaku