Everton v West Ham: Goals on the menu on Merseyside

Paul Robinson
05 January 2015

Will the smile return to Roberto's face tonight?

Join

Twitter

Facebook

View the Betslip

The FA Cup third round fixtures conclude with Everton entertaining West Ham on Tuesday evening and Paul Robinson thinks that both teams will get on the scoresheet...

"This bet would have landed in all bar one of West Ham’s away games this term and three of Everton’s last five at Goodison Park."

Back Both teams to Score @ 1.728/11

Everton v West Ham Tuesday, 19:45
Live on BT Sport 1

December was a terrible month for Everton as aside from a win over QPR, they failed to record any other victory and actually lost five of their other six. January didn't start any better as The Toffees lost 2-0 at Hull and manager, Roberto Martinez, has come under a little bit of pressure.

The former Wigan boss now has three home games in a row to begin the turnaround and he will be hoping that the FA Cup can galvanise his players. Martinez led Wigan to the trophy in 2013 and I would expect that he is taking this tie very seriously.

Scoring goals has become a bit of an issue as they've now fired five blanks in seven games and they failed to net at home to both Krasnodar and Stoke City. Perhaps even more worrying though is the fact that the Merseysiders have kept just one clean sheet in a dozen outings, with goals conceded at Goodison against West Ham, Hull, Krasnodar, QPR and Stoke.

West Ham had been riding high in the Champions League places until the Christmas period but one point from a possible nine has checked their progress somewhat. In fairness to The Hammers, they did have to face both Chelsea and Arsenal during that spell, but they will be disappointed with the 1-1 draw at home to West Brom on New Years Day.

Nevertheless, Sam Allardyce will be delighted with how his team's campaign has gone thus far and he will no doubt have his sights set on a run in the FA Cup. A trip to Everton isn't exactly the easiest draw, but they've lost just three times on the road this season - albeit one of those defeats coming on this ground back in November.

The key to their upturn in form from recent years has been their ability to find the net on a regular basis. West Ham have already scored 31 Premier League goals this term, so they are only nine behind their total of 40 from last season.

Match Odds
Everton 2.0621/20 West Ham 3.8514/5 The Draw 3.8514/5

This is a tough match to call as both teams are capable of winning if they play well. Obviously Everton are the favourites as they have home advantage and a better overall profile, but I wouldn't fancy backing them at even money.

I wouldn't want to oppose them either however, and as there is much better value in other markets, I'm happy to leave it alone.

Over/Under 2.5 Goals
Over 2.5 Goals 1.845/6 Under 2.5 Goals 2.166/5

I touched on Everton's recent struggles in front of goal earlier on, but I can't see them not scoring here. West Ham haven't kept a clean sheet all season away from Upton Park, but on the flipside, The Irons have only failed to score once - and that was at Stamford Bridge.

Seven of their nine on their travels have gone over 2.5 goals, as have eight of Everton's 12 in front of their own fans.

Both Teams to Score

As much as I like the above selection, I like this one even more. It's only a marginally shorter price and protects us from a 1-1 draw - which I believe is more likely than 3-0 either way. This bet would have landed in all bar one of West Ham's away games this term and three of Everton's last five at Goodison Park.

Cash Out

Given that I have failed to make a strong case for either team winning but that I fancy plenty of goals, it probably comes as no surprise that my best cash out proposition is a 2-2 correct score. It's currently available to back at around the 15.5 mark, and if the game goes the way I think it will, it should trade much shorter in running to give us a chance to lock in a profit.

Recommended Bets
Back Over 2.5 goals @ 1.845/6 (1pt)
Back Both teams to Score @ 1.728/11 (2pts)

Best Cash Out
Back a 2-2 Correct Score @ 15.5

Bet £10 On ACCAS or Bet Builders and Get a £2 Free Bet

Bet £10 on Accas, Multiples or Bet Builders, at minimum combined odds of 2.0 (evens) and once the qualifying bet(s) have settled, you'll get a £2 free bet. Free bet valid 48 hours on Accas, Multiples or Bet Builders. T&Cs apply.