Everton v Sunderland, UFC 127 tomorrow

Everton host Sunderland tomorrow, looking to build on the momentum gained by knocking Chelsea out of the FA Cup last Saturday.

The league is still tight enough for a win to move Everton’s thoughts from a relegation fight to a last-gasp chase for Europe, but given our record against teams we should really beat at Goodison this season it wouldn’t be surprising if we slipped up again here.

Sunderland are struggling with injuries all over the park, with Michael Turner, Lee Cattermole, Danny Welbeck and Frazier Campbell all sidelined. Cattermole being out is particularly good news, as he’s exactly the kind of high-tempo nutter that Everton’s talented but fragile midfield has struggled with this season (think Karl Henry and Cheik Tiote).

Everton have a good record against Sunderland and there’s really no excuse for us not to win this game. They’ve only got one fit senior striker in Asamoah Gyan, and while he’s very good, Jagiekla and Distin should have enough between them to keep him quiet.

Sulley Muntari, who is on loan from Inter, and Stephane Sessegnon will be ones to keep an eye on. Muntari was quality during his spell at Portsmouth and Sessegnon looks a decent flair player from what little I’ve seen of him so far (it’s always nice to see a Football Manager superstar looking the part in real life).

Jack Rodwell and Louis Saha are Everton’s two most notable absentees. While we’re on the subject of Rodwell, what exactly has he done to merit interest from Real Madrid and Manchester United? Surely the sight of Jack Wilshere dominating Barcelona’s midfield in a high-profile Champions League tie shows that Rodwell, who has barely strung two quality performances together, isn’t ready for the big stage just yet.

As with every Everton game, I’m hoping that our opponents come at us from the offset and leave space open at the back for Baines and Coleman to attack. I don’t know if I can take another 90 minutes of a team sitting tight and letting Everton get ten yards over the half-way line, where we inevitably run out of ideas and start making stupid mistakes.

For all his limitations, Jermaine Beckford has to start. His ability to make intelligent runs that drag opposition defenders out of position may be his only real attribute, but that’s still more thing than the useless Victor Anichebe offers.

The key to victory for Everton will be Mikel Arteta. He needs to show belief in Fellaini’s ability to protect the defence and perform the simple sideways passing that our no.10 has limited himself to this season. Arteta’s last two performances showed signs that he may be on the verge of recapturing his form of last season, and we’ll need him to drive forward and commit players in search of the killer pass that the rest of our team sadly lacks.

Also, it’s UFC 127 from Sydney, Australia tomorrow. I’d love to predict a BJ Penn knock out win over John Fitch, but chances are that Fitch will pin Penn against the fence and tire him out en route to a decision. That’s the obvious pick here, but I’m still going to praying for a Penn stoppage.

WAR PRODIGY!