Everton host Rotherham United on Saturday at Goodison Park in the third round of the FA Cup. Carlo Ancelotti will be confident that his side can claim a win and seal progression to the fourth round of the competition.
The Toffees are unbeaten in five of their last six matches in the Premier League. They go into the fixture on Saturday in good form although they did lose to West Ham, 1-0, in their most recent Premier League fixture.
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That loss shouldn’t affect the Toffees against Championship team Rotherham United. The Millers are in a relegation fight in the Championship. They are 23rd in the division and three points from safety.
It wouldn’t be out of the question for manager Paul Warne and his squad to have their attention on the Championship rather than a going deep in the FA Cup. Rotherham United have lost back-to-back matches in the Championship.
They have scored 19 goals and allowed 29 goals to opponents in 20 Championship games. Goal scoring has been an issue for the Millers as they average just 0.95 goals per match in the second division.
Ancelotti is without midfielder Allan, full-back Lucas Digne, midfielder Fabian Delph, and forward Jean-Philippe Gbamin.
All four players are injured and will not play in the FA Cup third round. Meanwhile, Alex Iwobi is a doubt to play and may return when the Premier League kicks off again.
Warne has a long list of players on his injured list heading into the cup fixture. The number of players suffering from fitness issues could prevent any giant killing at Goodison Park.
Billy Jones, Matt Crooks, and Angus MacDonald all tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss the match. Joe Mattock is a doubt with an ankle injury and Clark Robinson is recovering from a broken foot. Kieran Sadlier, Shaun MacDonald, and Chiedozie Ogbene are unlikely to make the squad.
Everton and Rotherham United met in the Carabao Cup 2018-19. The Toffees claimed a 3-1 win on the day. Everton are a much different team than the one that played on that night, but the result should be the same.
Striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin has scored 14 goals in 19 matches in all competitions. He hasn’t scored in his last five league matches. Calvert-Lewin could break his duck against Rotherham United in a big way.
Everton should win at home in the FA Cup third round without any issue. Expect the Toffees’ defence to keep a clean sheet in the process.