English FA CUP
2012-03-27 - Sunderland vs Everton
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English FA Cup Replay
Tuesday 27 March 2012 - Kick Off 8pm
This game is live on TV
Sunderland
Martin O'Neill has made significant strides at the Stadium of Light in his short time at the club, but he would dearly love to add another FA Cup Semi Final to his CV as he bids to take his Sunderland side there to face Liverpool. The Black Cats have been a little off the pace in recent games, but they will feel confident after earning a draw at Goodison Park.
The team have a strong 7-4-4 record at home this season and have scored 24 goals and conceded 14 in those games so far. Sunderland have already beaten Peterborough United and Arsenal in the Cup this season, and they needed a replay and extra time before they knocked out Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium following a 1-1 draw here.
Sunderland had won just 1 of 5 games in all competitions and it seemed like they had just lost a bit of form at the wrong time, but a 3-1 home win over the weekend against QPR should have built some confidence ahead of this one. They have now won their last 3 home games in all competitions and 4 of their last 5 games at the Stadium of Light.
Lee Cattermole is back in the squad after completing his suspension after being sent off following the final whistle against Newcastle United. Phil Bardsley and Sebastien Larsson are both also available, but Kieran Richardson and John O'Shea will be absent.
Everton
Reaching the FA Cup Semi Final should be incentive enough for a club like Everton, but how much more would it mean to them knowing they will be playing local rivals Liverpool in that Semi Final if they can negotiate this trip to Sunderland. While they failed to get the job done in the original tie at Goodison Park, there will still be confidence that they can earn their way through here.
Everton have a 5-4-6 away record in the Premier League so far this season, scoring 15 goals and conceding 18 in those games. They had a bit of fortune in the FA Cup in terms of being drawn at home in every Round so far, beating Tamworth, Fulham and Blackpool at Goodison Park before the draw with Sunderland in the original tie.
The Toffees had been in great form since January, but 2 losses in their last 3 games and failure to win any of those games made it seem like Everton may just have hit another sticky patch. However, they did win 0-2 at Swansea over the weekend, becoming just the third club to win in that part of Wales in the League this season. Everton have lost just 1 of their last 5 away games, although the win at Swansea was their first in 6 games.
Steven Pienaar is out as he played for Tottenham Hotspur earlier in the competition, so Darron Gibson is set to keep his place. Jack Rodwell and Seamus Coleman remain absent.
Head to Head
This will be the third time the teams are meeting this season with both previous games ending 1-1, one at Sunderland in the League, the other at Everton in the original tie.
Everton have a strong record at the Stadium of Light in recent seasons, going unbeaten in their last 7 visits to this stadium, although the last 3 have all ended in draws.
Prediction
This is yet another game where it is tough to separate the teams on the win-draw-win market.
Both teams will be desperate for the win as this is a competition that both David Moyes and Martin O'Neill have made it clear how important it is.
While I don't know which of the teams will go through, I would perhaps favour the away side to find a way to get the job done.
However, we could easily see this going to extra time or penalties so instead I will back both teams to score at a shade under evens.
Both games this season have ended 1-1, while the last 3 games at the Stadium of Light have all ended in score draws. With that in mind, the 1.92 at Bet Victor looks appealing enough for me to take it on.
The Pick :
Sunderland 1-1 Everton
