League Cup Quarter-Final Preview: Everton vs Fulham

Everton head into their League Cup quarter-final tie against Fulham on December 19 with their sights firmly set on making further progress in the competition.

With several big clubs falling by the wayside, the Toffees will undoubtedly fancy their chances of ending their near 30-year wait to win a major trophy.

Read on as we look at Everton’s chances of defeating Fulham later this month, before assessing whether they can go on to lift the prestigious trophy.

Everton eager to keep rolling

Despite their well-documented off-field troubles, Sean Dyche’s side have been working hard to give the fans something to cheer about this season.

A ten-point deduction sent them hurtling down the Premier League, but they still have plenty of time to climb away from the relegation zone. Their 3-0 victory over Newcastle United in midweek moved them out of the bottom three and should give them plenty of confidence.

Reaching the last-eight of a major cup competition is also a big bonus and Dyche will be eager to see his team progress even further by beating Fulham.

The latest soccer odds make them marginal favourites to ease past the London side, and punters will likely see them as a value bet to get the job done. However, bettors may need to be wary given the number of surprise results in the League Cup this season.

Everton’s 2-1 victory at Aston Villa in the third round undoubtedly falls into that category, particularly given how well the Midlands outfit have performed in the Premier League this season. The 3-0 win over Burnley in the last-16 was less surprising, with Everton dominating throughout the game.

A home tie against Fulham gives the Toffees every chance of reaching the semi-finals, although they need to be mindful that their recent record against their opponents is not great. Everton have drawn one and lost three of their last four meetings with Fulham – scoring just once during that run.

Fulham will fancy their chances of upsetting the odds

Fulham have defeated Tottenham Hotspur, Norwich City and Ipswich Town to reach this stage of the competition and will be confident of making further progress.

While they have been inconsistent in the league for most of the season, their recent form suggests they are a team who should not be underestimated. They were excellent in a 3-2 home win over Wolverhampton Wanderers, before nearly upsetting the odds at Liverpool.

Two late goals sealed a fortunate 4-3 victory for the Reds and Fulham could count themselves unfortunate not to take something from the game. They bounced back to form in their next outing, smashing five without reply at home to Nottingham Forest.

Striker Raul Jimenez finally seems to be finding some form after a tough spell, while former Everton midfielder Alex Iwobi has looked extremely dangerous in recent games.

With ex-Toffees manage Marco Silva in the dugout, Fulham are sure to be fired up as they continue their pursuit of silverware. The Cottagers have never previously won a major trophy, although they came close in 2010 when the lost the Europa League final to Atletico Madrid after extra time.

League Cup offers Everton the chance to end trophy drought

Home advantage should work in Everton’s favour against Fulham and they look a good bet to live up to their tag of being the bookmakers’ favourites in their quarter-final tie.

If the Toffees progress to the last four, they will undoubtedly be hoping the draw pairs them with the winners of the Port Vale versus Middlesbrough tie. The two-legged format would favour the Premier League team and make them overwhelming favourites to reach the final.

The other two quarter-finals are tricky to predict, with Chelsea set to play Newcastle and Liverpool facing West Ham United. The outright betting suggests Chelsea and Liverpool should progress, but things may not be that simple.

Chelsea are enduring another disappointing campaign and will not find things easy against a Newcastle team that reached the final of this competition last season. Liverpool look a more solid betting option against West Ham, although it will be intriguing to see whether manager Jurgen Klopp fields his strongest team in this tie.

With Manchester City and Arsenal out of the equation, Everton should view the League Cup as an extremely winnable competition. A Wembley Stadium showdown with Liverpool would be the ideal scenario for many fans, although it would be better if the Reds were knocked out before then.

The fact that Everton are actually in the running to win silverware is an achievement given the club’s off-field issues and it would be great to see Dyche leading the team out in the final.

The first order of business will be to defeat Fulham at Goodison Park and they are fancied to get the job done, albeit by a narrow 2-1 scoreline.

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