A place in the semi-finals of the FA Cup is up for grabs this weekend as Everton host Chelsea in the last eight at Goodison Park.

Only two points separate the teams in the Premier League table, but the FA Cup will now take priority for both sides following Chelsea's Champions League exit this week.

Everton

© Getty Images

It is 21 long years since Everton last lifted the FA Cup, beating Manchester United in the final to hoist the trophy aloft for the fifth time in their history.

There has not been a major trophy for the club since, and having fallen short in the League Cup semi-finals in January, this weekend represents their only chance to keep hopes of silverware alive.

Victory in the FA Cup would certainly help manager Roberto Martinez to ride through what is a rocky patch of his leadership, with reports suggesting that the squad are beginning to lose faith in the Spaniard.

That came in the wake of Saturday's 3-2 defeat at home to West Ham United, in which the Toffees somehow managed to turn a hugely impressive victory into the most gut-wrenching of defeats at Goodison Park.

Everton had to play almost an hour with 10 men, but still managed to take a two-goal lead and had the chance to wrap things up completely with a little over 20 minutes remaining when they were awarded a penalty.

However, Romelu Lukaku missed from the spot, and a late collapse ensued as West Ham scored three times in the final 12 minutes to grab victory from the jaws of defeat.

The Toffees have only lost the same number of matches as fourth-placed Manchester City, but their inability to see games out has been the source of much frustration and has left them 12th in the table, equidistant between the top three and the bottom three.

Brighter times could be ahead with the club's new investment being approved this week, while there are certainly signs that Everton are capable of more - only Leicester City and Man City have scored more than them in the league this season.

However, whether or not Martinez is overseeing those brighter times could well rely on his progress in the FA Cup. Everton have not yet conceded in this season's competition, but they have also not faced opposition of Chelsea's calibre, with victories over Dagenham & Redbridge, Carlisle United and Bournemouth taking them to the quarter-finals.

Of those, only the win over Dagenham came at home, but Everton do boast an impressive recent FA Cup record at Goodison Park, with just one defeat in 10 there since 2011.

Recent form: WWW
Recent form (all competitions): WWLWWL

Chelsea

© AFP

Since Everton last won the FA Cup, Chelsea have won it no fewer than six times, including once already under current interim boss Guus Hiddink.

The Dutchman remains unbeaten in this competition over his two spells in temporary charge of the team, guiding the Blues all the way to Wembley glory in 2009 with victory over the very same opponents they face this weekend.

Indeed, domestically he has lost just once in his two spells in charge, and is still yet to lose this time around having started his second reign with a 15-match unbeaten streak against fellow English sides.

Last weekend's 1-1 draw with Stoke City may have been yet another couple of points dropped at home in the league - Hiddink has won one and drawn five of his six league games at Stamford Bridge since taking over - but it also saw him become the first manager to go 12 Premier League games unbeaten at the start of their tenure.

Unfortunately for Chelsea, that unbeaten run has not extended to Europe, and the FA Cup is the only thing they have left to fight for following their Champions League exit at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday.

Chelsea did better than many expected against the runaway Ligue 1 leaders, but ultimately succumbed to a 4-2 aggregate defeat, with PSG winning both legs 2-1 thanks largely to a couple of goals from Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

The second leg at Stamford Bridge could prove to be costly in more than just the result, though. Diego Costa, who terrorised the PSG defence at times, and Eden Hazard, himself looking sharper than he has done for much of the season, were both forced off early and could miss this weekend's game.

Hiddink has generally chosen strong teams to field in the FA Cup this season, cruising past Scunthorpe United in the third round before back-to-back 5-1 victories over MK Dons and a severely weakened Manchester City side to reach the quarter-finals.

They have lost just one of their last 14 FA Cup away games too, and will be eager to end what is now a four-year wait to win this competition - a blink of an eye in comparison to Everton but a veritable drought in Chelsea's recent history.

Recent form: WWW
Recent form (all competitions): LWWWDL

Team News

© Getty Images

Having limped off with a muscle problem in midweek, Costa is unlikely to be risked this weekend, although the club are still examining the extent of the injury.

Hazard's problem is thought to be a little less serious and he could be in line to feature, but Hiddink has other options should the Belgian not be 100%.

Captain John Terry's absence continued against PSG and he is still thought to be around a week or so from returning despite expecting to be back by now.

The perennially injured Radamel Falcao remains out along with Kurt Zouma, meanwhile, which means that Hiddink must decide between Bertrand Traore, Loic Remy and Alexandre Pato to lead the line in Costa's expected absence.

Everton have a number of fitness doubts for the match, including Bryan Oviedo with a chest infection, which could see a return for Leighton Baines at left-back.

Gareth Barry and Tom Cleverley are both suffering from illness while Aaron Lennon will undergo a late fitness test on a hamstring injury to determine whether he will be available.

Kevin Mirallas is definitely out following his red card last weekend, though, and Tyias Browning remains sidelined until the end of the season.

Everton possible starting lineup:
Howard; Coleman, Stones, Jagielka, Funes Mori, Baines; Barry, Besic, Barkley, Deulofeu; Lukaku

Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Courtois; Azpilicueta, Cahill, Ivanovic, Baba Rahman; Matic, Fabregas, Pedro, Willian, Oscar; Traore

Head To Head

Everton have won just one of their last five meetings with Chelsea in all competitions, although that did come earlier this season at Goodison Park when Steven Naismith's hat-trick helped the Toffees to a 3-1 victory.

There were goals when the sides met at Stamford Bridge in January too, with Chelsea scoring a controversial equaliser through Terry deep in stoppage time after Ramiro Funes Mori had already put his side 3-2 up in added time.

This will be the 12th FA Cup meeting between the two sides, with Everton having failed to win any of the last six in normal time, although they did triumph on penalties the last time they met in this competition.

The Dugout Podcast

Hit play below to listen to Sports Mole's new podcast 'The Dugout' for our take on the week's biggest football talking points:

We say: Everton 2-3 Chelsea

These two often provide goals and, with the FA Cup all either has left to fight for this season, it should be an open and entertaining game. Chelsea may be hurting from their Champions League exit, but Everton are particularly fragile at home and we expect Hiddink's unbeaten FA Cup record to continue.

Previews by email