Everton welcome Peterborough United to Goodison Park on the first night of FA Cup third round ties this Thursday.
The fixture was controversially moved forward 48 hours due to Liverpool also playing at home over the weekend, with both clubs showing their displeasure over the scheduling.
Match preview
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Following a 1-0 defeat to Bournemouth at the weekend, pressure has rapidly intensified on Everton manager Sean Dyche, with rumours this week suggesting new owners the Friedkins are concerned about recent results.
After doing a stellar job during his first 18 months in charge, the relationship is starting to turn sour between the fans and Dyche, with the supporters fed up with the manager's perceived negative tactics which are now not even providing results.
Everton have won just one of their last 11 games, and their top scorer during that time is Wolves defender Craig Dawson, who scored two own goals in that solitary win.
Iliman Ndiaye's stunning strike away to Manchester City is the only goal they have scored from open play in their last 10 matches, with their toothless attack being exposed again at the weekend, failing to register a single shot on target in the defeat at the Vitality, leaving them just one point above the drop.
A win in this third round FA Cup tie will do nothing to alleviate the pressure on Dyche, but a defeat will pretty much confirm his sacking, especially if Everton once again look out of ideas in the final third.
Every January when the FA Cup comes around for Everton, the same narrative is mentioned about how the club has not won a single major honour since being victorious in the competition back in 1995.
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It is now 16 years since they last reached the final, with the Toffees earning just two trips to Wembley since, both in semi-final defeats to Liverpool and Manchester United.
Their performance in the competition has been woeful in the past couple of years, winning just one of their last five FA Cup matches - being thrashed by Crystal Palace in 2022, losing at this stage to Man United a year later, and going out at home to Luton Town last season.
Facing lower-league opposition could be favourable though, considering they have won 14 of their last 15 matches against teams outside the Premier League in this competition - the only exception was a 3-2 defeat at Millwall in 2019 when a clear handball for the late winner was missed by the officials.
You have to go back to 2008 to find the last time Everton lost against a club from the third tier in the FA Cup, but ominously that was also at Goodison, with Oldham Athletic causing a huge upset with a 1-0 win.
Peterborough do have previous history against Everton, but in their only ever head-to-head, the Toffees got the better of them, winning 2-1 in a second round League Cup clash back in 2006 thanks to Tim Cahill's late strike.
The Posh have struggled to cause upsets in the FA Cup, losing all 14 previous third round ties against top-flight opposition in their history, and they have only got beyond this stage once in the last six seasons.
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Given their form so far in the competition, and the struggles of their opponents, Darren Ferguson will be dreaming of equalling the club's best-ever performance in the FA Cup - a quarter-final run all the way back in 1964-65.
It has been goals galore in the FA Cup for Peterborough recently, with their last eight ties averaging 4.8 goals-per-game, and they have been involved in two thrillers already this season.
In round one, Newport County were beaten 4-2, before they got the better of Notts County 4-3 in the last round, and even though the Posh have only won seven of their last 18 games across all competitions, those wins have seen them score a remarkable combined 30 goals.
The visitors do not bring great form into this one though, taking just four points from their last nine league games, losing seven and falling down to 19th, just five points above the drop.
Peterborough are the reigning EFL Trophy holders, and with their last 16 clash against League Two leaders Walsall on the horizon next week, Ferguson will know that provides much more of an opportunity for success.
Team News
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Everton top scorer Dwight McNeil missed out once again in the defeat against Bournemouth, and it is unlikely Dyche will risk him in a game like this even if he is passed fit from his ongoing knee injury.
Seamus Coleman, James Garner and Tim Iroegbunam all remain out, and they are set to be joined on the treatment table by Armando Broja, who picked up a bizarre injury at Bournemouth, being forced off after kicking the floor when attempting a shot in the first half.
Youssef Chermiti also suffered another setback last week just ahead of this tie where he would have likely been given a chance up front, but teenager Harrison Armstrong should get an opportunity from the start to freshen things up in a team that has gone stale in recent weeks.
Peterborough are likely to be without first-choice goalkeeper Jed Steer, who remains doubtful, so Australian Nicholas Bilokapic is set to deputise for him once again.
Kwame Poku, one of the League One players of the season so far, remains sidelined for the Posh, and he will be a big miss considering he has contributed to 15 goals in 17 games this season.
Rio Adebisi and Mahamadou Susoho are the other injury concerns for Ferguson, while Sam Curtis's loan from Sheffield United came to an end last week and he has returned to Bramall Lane.
Everton possible starting lineup:
Joao Virginia; Patterson, Keane, O'Brien, Mykolenko; Doucoure, Mangala, Armstrong; Harrison, Calvert-Lewin, Ndiaye
Peterborough United possible starting lineup:
Bilokapic; Johnston, Wallin, Fernandez, Katongo, Hayes; De Havilland, Kyprianou, Collins; Mothersille, Jones
We say: Everton 1-0 Peterborough United
When trying to identify a potential cup upset this weekend, many may look to this fixture given Everton's dreadful recent form, but even with all of their troubles in attack, the hosts should be able to get past their League One opponents.
Peterborough have never beaten top-flight opposition at this stage in the FA Cup, and Everton have not lost at home to a lower-league side in 14 years, so a place in round four should be theirs.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Andrew Delaney
