London, Feb 8, 2021 (AFP) -From Tuesday to Thursday, the round of 16 of the FA Cup will be played, a round that will have as a stellar tie the one between James Rodríguez’s Everton against José Mourinho’s Tottenham.
It will be a tie with two teams in opposite dynamics: although Everton have only lost one game of their last seven disputed, the Spurs ended a three-game losing streak on Sunday with a victory against West Brom (2-0), penultimate of the Premier League.
Both teams are separated by just one point in the standings (Everton 7th with 37 and Tottenham 8th with 36) and still aspire to remain in the fight for qualification for the next Champions League, which currently closes Liverpool, fourth with 40 units .
Carlo Ancelotti’s Everton already know what it’s like to beat their rival this season, as they won 1-0 in London at the season premiere.
The Colombian James Rodríguez, a figure of the Toffees, is in a great moment of form and is the axis through which the entire offensive game of Everton passes, while Mourinho has just recovered his top scorer, Harry Kane, once the captain has recovered from a long injury.
This match is scheduled for Wednesday, but on Tuesday the 5th round will begin with another of the most attractive matches, the one that will face Manchester United, second in the Premier, against West Ham, sixth in the championship at Old Trafford and one of the surprise teams this season.
It is perhaps the most feasible option for United to add a title this season, but it will not be easy either against a very dangerous rival and given the irregularity of Ole Gunnar Solksjaer’s team in their stadium, capable in the last 15 days of losing against him bottom Sheffield United, scoring nine goals for Southampton or letting Everton tie in discount last weekend.
Premier League leaders Manchester City should have no trouble getting into the quarterfinals as they will visit second-tier Swansea on Wednesday and be able to continue competing for all titles this season.
In other qualifying rounds, Leicester (3rd in the championship) will host Brighton, who is struggling not to be relegated to the Championship, while Chelsea (5th) will visit lower-ranking Barnsley on Thursday.
– Program of the knockout stages of the English Cup (GMT hours):
– Tuesday February 9:
(17h30) Burnley (D1) – Bournemouth (D2)
(19h30) Manchester United (D1) – West Ham (D1)
– Wednesday February 10:
(17h30) Swansea (D2)- Manchester City (D1)
(19h30) Leicester (D1) – Brighton (D1)
Sheffield United (D1) – Bristol City (D2)
(20h15) Everton (D1) – Tottenham (D1)
– Thursday, February 11:
(17h30) Wolverhampton (D1) – Southampton (D1)
(20h00) Barnsley (D2) – Chelsea (D1)
bur-mcd/psr
AFP