Everton v Bournemouth preview: Team news, head-to-head, line-ups, prediction
Everton host Bournemouth in an FA Cup fourth-round contest at Goodison Park on Saturday.
David Moyes has guided his side to three successive Premier League victories, most recently the 4-0 win over Leicester City on Saturday (1 February).
That result handed the Blues a nine-point buffer on the relegation zone, meaning that they can focus on trying to progress in the domestic cup rather than looking over their shoulder.
Preview
The hosts have been transformed under David Moyes and victories over Tottenham, Brighton and Leicester have eased their relegation concerns.
A comfortable gap between the Blues and the Premier League drop zone means that they can attempt to put together a serious cup run after knocking out League One Peterborough United in the last round.
They will be looking to avoid another exit at this stage like last season’s 2-1 defeat to Luton Town, who were a Premier League outfit at the time.
Meanwhile, the Cherries had not tasted defeat since 23 November before the 2-0 defeat to Liverpool last weekend (1 February).
Their run included a 1-0 victory over the Toffees on 4 January when David Brooks scored a 77th-minute winner and a 5-0 thrashing of Championship outfit West Brom in the previous round of this competition.
They are hoping to progress into the fifth round in two successive seasons for the first time in their history.
Form Guide (Premier League)
Everton: WWWLLL
Bournemouth: LWWDWD
Head-To-Head (Premier League)
Bournemouth 1-0 Everton (January 2025)
Everton 2-3 Bournemouth (August 2024)
Bournemouth 2-1 Everton (March 2024)
Everton 3-0 Bournemouth (October 2023)
Everton 1-0 Bournemouth (May 2023)
Bournemouth 3-0 Everton (November 2022)
Team News for Everton v Bournemouth
David Moyes is expected to rotate his squad with the rearranged Merseyside derby coming later in the week (12 February).
He also has to contend with six first-team options being ruled out for the contest as Seamus Coleman, Youssef Chermiti, Dwight McNeil, Armando Broja, Orel Mangala and Dominic Calvert-Lewin will not be in contention. [Ben Dinnery]
The Toffees have been boosted by the return of Tim Iroegbunam and James Garner and will also have new signing Carlos Alcaraz available to make his debut.
Andoni Iraola could rotate his side as he did in the win over the Baggies in the previous round despite facing Premier League opposition.
The biggest absence for the Cherries is striker Evanilson but they are also without Luis Sinisterra, Alex Scott, and Enes Unal in attack.
Meanwhile, Lewis Cook is expected to continue to fill-in at right-back with Julian Araujo, James Hill, and Adam Smith all ruled out.
Predicted lineups
Everton: Pickford, Patterson, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Young, Garner, Iroegbunam, Alcaraz, Harrison, Ndiaye, Beto
Bournemouth: Kepa, Cook, Zabarnyi, Huijsen, Kerkez, Adams, Winterburn, Brooks, Tavernier, Jebbison, Ouattara
Prediction: Everton 1-2 Bournemouth
The Cherries have lost just one of their last 13 matches and that was to the Blues’ arch-rivals, who are top of the league.
The Goodison Park outfit have been on a great run themselves but the visitors’ firepower will be too much for the Toffees on this occasion.