Toffees looking for confidence
729 entrants – the FA Cup really is a club for everyone. There are now only 16 teams left to dream of winning the world’s oldest cup competition (141st edition). Six second division teams and one blatant underdog are still represented in the top 16. The clearest division of roles is at Goodison Park on Merseyside, with hosts Everton firm favourites against Boreham Wood.
The Toffees are having an absolutely disappointing season and have to fear for their league survival in the Premier League, but no expert can imagine a failure against Boreham Wood. The guest is an absolute no-name and only at home in the fifth-class National League. Accordingly, only betting odds of 1.10-1.14 are offered for the prediction of a home win against Everton against Boreham Wood.
Even though the Toffees are in the midst of a relegation battle, there are no excuses in a first division clash against a fifth division side. However, with the current uncertainty of Lampard’s eleven, a high handicap win is not to be expected. The game kicks off at Goodison Park on Thursday night at 9:15pm.
Everton – Statistics & current form
Everton Football Club have been playing continuously in the English football top flight for 30 years now. A proud series, which in the worst case is history in a few weeks. Even after the signing of Frank Lampard as the new head coach, things are not going according to plan for Liverpool’s local rivals. 22 points from 24 league games are the worst points haul in the last decade. Last season alone, the Toffees had 18 points more (!) on the credit side at this time.
The goal was Europe
The current situation is quite threatening for the Toffees, because nobody at the club was concerned with the relegation battle. Rather, the return to Europe was the big goal, which seems quite realistic given the available squad. The start of the season was promising and three of the first four league games were won. To date, they have only won six Premier League games. Accordingly, the Toffees have only managed a meagre three wins in their last 20 games.
Everton have played five games under Frank Lampard, winning two (once in the league, once in the FA Cup) and losing the other three. The defeat last weekend against Manchester City was particularly bitter. A very strong performance was not rewarded and in the final phase the Toffees were even denied a clear penalty and thus the narrow 1-0 defeat remained.
Offensive only a lukewarm breeze
Dominic Calvert-Levin and Richarlison basically bring everything a coach could want as an attacking duo. Headstall strength, robustness, distinctive technique and also a certain carefree attitude – the duo complements each other perfectly on paper. However, the two players have been on the pitch far too rarely, “DLC” has only played eight league games. This is another reason why the Everton offence is only a lukewarm breeze and a meagre five goals are enough to put them in first place in the internal scorers’ list.
In such an unequal duel, the first thought is often a landslide victory, after all the difference in quality is enormous. But every player at this level has a certain tactical understanding and can fight, scratch and “eat dirt”. Coupled with the home side’s uncertainty, therefore, betting on a high handicap win between Everton and Boreham Wood is not advisable.
Predicted Everton line-up:
Pickford – Keane, Holgate, Godfrey – Mykolenko, Gomes, Allan, Coleman – Gray, Richarlison, Townsend
Last matches played by Everton:
Premier League
02/26 2022 – Everton 0 – 1 Manchester City
02/19 2022 – Southampton 2 – 0 Everton
02/12 2022 – Everton 3 – 0 Leeds
02/08 2022 – Newcastle United 3 – 1 Everton
FA Cup
02/05 2022 – Everton 4 – 1 Brentford
Boreham Wood – Statistics & current form
The FA Cup has written many incredible stories and that is exactly why it enjoys such a high reputation. Time and time again there are surprises from absolute no-name clubs who earn themselves a “game of a lifetime”. For many players in head coach Luke Garrard’s side, a game against a Premier League side will be the biggest highlight of their careers.
National League – the highest of emotions
Until the 1970s, the club operated exclusively in small amateur leagues in England before the move to a regional league in London/South East England. Since 2015/16, the club has been represented in the fifth-tier National League, the highest amateur league in England. In 2017/18, promotion to English professional football was missed by a whisker. In the play-off final, Boreham Wood played Tranmere Rovers from minute one onwards but still lost 2-1. The 2019/20 promotion dream also burst in the play-offs.
The 2021/22 season, however, could now represent the greatest success in the club’s history at all levels. The fifth main round in the FA Cup is the greatest success of all time anyway. But promotion to League Two for the first time is also realistic for the third-placed team in the table, as Boreham Wood are seven points behind the league leaders but also have three catch-up games up their sleeve. Accordingly, Boreham Wood are in first place on points lost.
Few goals conceded key to success
Outstanding among the results is the fact that the defence in particular is convincing. In 27 league games, Boreham Wood have conceded just 17 goals. In 16 of the 27 league games the “zero” was kept. In the last ten games alone, Boreham Wood went seven without conceding a goal.
A strength that can not only be seen in the league, but also in the FA Cup. The team has not conceded a goal in any of the four main rounds of the FA Cup so far. Among others, AFC Wimbledon (3rd division) and AFC Bournemouth (second in the Championship!) were defeated. These figures suggest that Everton v Boreham Wood will be a low scoring game. Even for an under 3.5 the bookmakers still offer acceptable betting odds.
Predicted line-up of Boreham Wood:
Ashby-Hammond – Stephens, Stevens, Evans – Mendy, Raymond, Rees, Ricketts, Smith – Boden, Marsh
Last matches played by Boreham Wood:
National League
02/26 2022 – Boreham Wood 1 – 0 Eastleigh
02/22 2022 – Torquay 0 – 0 Boreham Wood
02/19 2022 – Maidenhead United 2 – 0 Boreham Wood
02/15 2022 – Boreham Wood 2 – 0 Altrincham
FA Trophy
02/12 2022 – Wrexham 3 – 0 Boreham Wood
Everton – Boreham Wood Direct comparison / H2H balance
Not surprisingly, there is a yawning void in the head-to-head comparison between these two sides, never before have the Merseyside team and the current fifth division side faced each other.
Everton – Boreham Wood Tip
In essence, the roles are clearly distributed and this FA Cup match on Thursday night is likely to attract manageable interest. Everton will be hoping for a return to winning ways, but the stakes are high and even a close game could dent their confidence. The underdogs should not be underestimated, however, as they are extremely disciplined and beat a strong team like Bournemouth in the last round, also away from home.
The Toffees are therefore warned and will not take the fifth division side lightly. In the end, Everton will almost certainly prevail, but this game is unlikely to be a foregone conclusion. Given the underdog’s very strong defensive record, Everton’s betting on Boreham Wood to score less than 1.5 goals in the first half will be played with six units.
