Everton will be hoping to feel the new manager bounce as they host Brentford in the fourth round of the English FA Cup.
Everton will view the FA Cup as a chance to earn a confidence boosting win. They head into Saturday’s clash with a new manager at the helm after Frank Lampard was appointed as the replacement for Rafa Benitez on transfer deadline day.
Lampard has already bolstered the Everton squad with the acquisition of Donny Van De Beek, Dele Alli and Anwar El Ghazi. All three men are eligible and could feature on Saturday in a bid to bring some freshness to the team.
The first task for Everton will be to end their poor run, a 3-2 extra-time victory over Hull City in the previous round was their only win in the last six matches.
Brentford reached the fourth round of the FA Cup after claiming a 4-1 victory over League Two side Port Vale. Bryan Mbeumo came off the bench to score a hat-trick after Marcus Forss had opened the scoring midway through the first half.
It has been all downhill for Brentford since that victory as they travel to Goodison Park off the back of four straight defeats. Their last outing was a 2-1 Premier League loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers prior to the international break.
Brentford have also found things difficult on their travels with the result at Port Vale their only away victory in the last eight matches across all competitions. Their last fixture on the road was a 3-0 Premier League defeat at Liverpool.
How the bookies view it
Despite their recent struggles, Everton still have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 23/20 by betfair to claim the win. A victory for Brentford is priced at 13/5 by SBK while betway is also offering odds of 13/5 for a draw.
Head to head
Brentford have a 7-3 advantage with two draws from 12 previous matches against Everton. Both teams met in a Premier League fixture in November with the Bees claiming a 1-0 victory thanks to Ivan Toney’s first half penalty.
Players to watch
Despite all the new acquisitions and the return of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Richardson still remains the biggest attacking threat for Everton. The Brazilian forward has found the net twice in his last four matches and is priced at 43/20 with Unibet to get on the score sheet.
Ivan Toney has found the net in his last two matches and is priced at 12/5 by Betfred to score anytime. However, Bryan Mbeumo’s hat-trick in the previous round could make him worthy of attention in the same market at 18/5 with SBK.
Anything else catch the eye?
Everton and Brentford have not shown any defensive solidity in recent times so both teams could be backed to score at 81/100 with novibet. Over 2.5 goals could also be considered at 21/20 with William Hill while over 3.5 goals is priced at 13/5 by Paddy Power.
Buoyed by the new manager, Everton are likely to make a fast start and could be tipped to score first at 5/6 with MansionBet.
This FA Cup match between Everton and Brentford will be played on Feb 5, 2022 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best Everton vs Brentford prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
