Everton are widely considered to be underachieving in the Premier League this season. Some inexplicable defeats this season has seen the Toffees drop out of contention for a top four and maybe even top six spot.
However the FA Cup offers the Toffees a real chance to redeem the campaign. Roberto Martinez’s side face a trip to Premier League rivals Bournemouth on Saturday in the fifth round of the competition.
The Cherries are likely to rest players, just like they have done in the other rounds so far in the competition, so it will give the side from Merseyside a golden opportunity to make it to the last eight of the world’s oldest cup competition.
Everton boss Martinez has come in for some heavy criticism this season for his side’s inability to defend, but they have the attacking armoury in the likes of Ross Barkley, Gerard Deulofeu, Aaron Lennon and Romelu Lukaku to cause any team in the land trouble.
The FA Cup is by no means Bournemouth’s priority this season, with Premier League survival the name of the game with Eddie Howe’s team, so it looks unlikely the side from Dorset will be at their strongest.
Everton, traditionally a club associated with winning silverware currently undergoing a 21-year trophy draught, with their last trophy being the FA Cup trophy back in 1995. The fans, team and management must be desperate for silverware of any kind this season.
The game at Bournemouth seems like the ideal opportunity to progress, but anybody who knows anything about the Merseysiders will know that they do not do anything easily and will probably find a way to mess things up at the Vitality Stadium.