18th Feb 2011 | Football
Chelsea v Everton
Chelsea and Everton replay at Stamford Bridge with neither side on sparkling form. Class should tell...but only just.
Fernando Torres is cup-tied for Chelsea which could prove a blessing in disguise, given his struggles to settle into his new surroundings. He will no doubt ‘come good’ but while Ancelotti puzzles over how best to accommodate his new £50m recruit he can restore old favourite Didier Drogba to the side after he was benched in the 0-0 draw with Fulham.
Everton have laboured for much of the season but have generally shown their best form when faced with the top teams. This point was illustrated by the first Cup clash at Goodison Park three weeks ago when Saha gave the home side the advantage before Kalou forced a replay that Chelsea were grateful for.
David Moyes will have been woefully disappointed by his side’s showing in the 2-0 defeat at Bolton last time out and will be calling for a big response from his players on Saturday. He is likely to get one but the absence of current form striker Saha could be pivotal. Chelsea haven’t scored in their last two games but the winners of the last two FA Cups should still have enough about them to squeeze their way into round five.
As always it’s hard to get too excited about betting on Chelsea to win at home with a best price of just 4/7. The value could be in picking the scoreline with 1-0 at 6/1 with bet365 looking like a decent punt.
Odds correct at time of publishing: 15:18 18th Feb, 2011 but subject to change
