BOURNEMOUTH may struggle to see the Carabao Cup as high priority after a dismal run of form as they welcome fellow Premier League strugglers Everton on Tuesday night.
It's 17th place Bournemouth v 16th place Everton and both won't exactly be coming into this game brimming with confidence.
The Cherries have now lost four games in a row which included a spectacular collapse against Leeds United at the weekend where they lost despite being 3-1 up with 30 minutes left.
They are also conceding goals at an alarming rate and have the worst defence in the league with 32 goals conceded in just 14 games.
Everton are hardly tearing up the Premier League either with just one win in six. They went down to a 2-0 defeat at home to Leicester City at the weekend.
As usual with this competition, the key will be the teamsheets. Toffees boss Frank Lampard will almost certainly make wholesale changes to his line-up and he has a big enough squad to do that.
Bournemouth, not so much, although they too are likely to mix it up. They got to this stage by winning after a penalty shoot-out against Norwich City while Everton won 1-0 at Scott Brown's Fleetwood Town.
How the bookies view it
Everton are favourites at the Vitality and you can get 13/8 with Paddy Power.
Bournemouth can be backed at 9/5 with Coral and the draw is 23/10 with bet365.
Recent head to heads
The clubs last met three years ago in the league and Bournemouth won both games 3-1. Everton have failed to win on their last four visits to Dorset.
Players to watch
Bournemouth's Scotland star Ryan Christie was an unused sub at the weekend, but is likely to get a runabout here. He is 16/5 to score with William Hill.
Neal Maupay could win a recall, especially with an injury to Dominic Calvert-Lewin. He's only netted once for Everton although he is often used off the bench and is 9/4 with bet365
Anything else catch the eye?
As always in the Carabao Cup, any wagers will probably best be delayed until the teamsheets are out and it is likely to be a cagey contrast between Bournemouth's leaky defence and Everton's lack of goals – they are the third-lowest scorers in the league.
Bournemouth will surely prioritise tightening up and with Everton shot-shy, the under 2.5 goals at 17/20 with UniBet looks a solid shout.
You can't make watertight cases for either team. Everton would probably shade it if full strength, but they won't be and have only won once away from Liverpool in the league.
Bournemouth have only won twice at home too. It all points to the draw being the sensible call here.
This EFL Cup match between Bournemouth and Everton will be played on Nov 8, 2022 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Bournemouth vs Everton prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
