Everton vs Bournemouth: FA Cup fourth round preview | Toffees look to make it four on the spin
07/02/2025 18:10
Will the Blues keep the Wembley dream alive?
Buoyed by three straight Premier League wins, Everton's attention now switches to the FA Cup as Bournemouth arrive at Goodison Park.
Last weekend's thumping win over Leicester now only built up a healthy nine-point gap between themselves and the relegation zone, but also a sense of togetherness and confidence not felt for a long time.
David Moyes has only made tweaks to his starting line-up and tactics, but it has transformed the way the team plays. It all came together against the Foxes, the kind of match Goodison deserves in its final season.
Now, here's the bit where I say we should not get carried away.
The new manager bounce is in full effect here and may well wear off in the coming week, with you-know-who looming on the horizon. But it has helped remove the sense of crisis that had enveloped the club and put safety within reach . Three wins and a few draws should be enough, but they still have to go out and get them.
But that's for later, now it is time to build a cup run. We all know the league has to be the priority this season but the prospect of a trip to Wembley never fails to excite.
Saturday is also significant as it could well be the final FA Cup game in Goodison's history. If that is to be the case, let's try and bow out in style.
The opposition
Bournemouth have been a thorn in Everton's side this season- but the Toffees are not the only ones.
Andoni Iraola is building something special on the south coast and the prospect of a very first European campaign is a real one.
Despite a crippling injury list the Cherries have won eight and lost just one – against Liverpool last week – of their last 13 games in all competitions.
They are seventh in the Premier league, just two points outside the top four. Does that mean the FA Cup is not a priority? Given their injury list I'm not sure Iraola can rotate too much, so Everton are likely to face a starting XI similar to the one that has already beaten them twice this season.
Previous meeting
Bournemouth 1-0 Everton, 4 January 2025
Everton slipped to a miserable defeat on the south coast just over a month ago, failing to muster a shot on target in the 90 minutes. David Brooks' goal on 77 minutes was the difference, with manager Sean Dyche leaving the club shortly after.
Team news
Deadline day signing Charly Alcaraz is available to make his debut after his loan move from Flamengo.
It is a familiar injury list, with Yousef Chermiti the closest to a return, followed by Seamus Coleman.
The club remain hopeful Armando Broja and Dominic Calvert-Lewin will play against this season, but Orel Mangala is definitely out for the remainder.
What they said
Everton manager David Moyes: "It feels great we've won three games. I can sense it in the building. I can sense it in training with the players, gaining confidence - a lot more self belief.
"But we've got to keep it going. We've got a long way to go.
"Bournemouth and their manager are doing a brilliant job. I think they've played so, so well this season.
"We've got to hope we can get a result. The two results against them this season, it didn't go our way, so let's see if we can do it in the Cup. It's a tough game."
Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola: "The two times I've been at Goodison, we've suffered for most parts of the game. This season we were 2-0 down in the 80-something minute. We have the experience that it is very difficult to play there. With the atmosphere, the kind of team they are - now obviously with the confidence very high after the wins they've had in recent weeks - I expect a very difficult game."
Final word
You can't argue with a home draw in the cup, but this will be a tough test against a team full of confidence. But Everton are full of confidence too and the shackles should be off. They also owe Bournemouth one after two miserable defeats in the league.
Let's have a go and see what happens.
