Will AFC shut out the opposition again?
Things are getting serious in the FA Cup: In the third round, the Premier League representatives are making their first appearance in this competition. This includes an all-Premier League clash between Everton and Sunderland, and Wettbasis has a tip ready.
The Toffees are five-time winners of the FA Cup, but their last triumph was 30 years ago. In the British top flight, the Mersey side are currently performing averagely, with eight wins, eight defeats, and five draws. It looks set to be a close game.
In our opinion, the home side and the visiting Black Cats are performing at a very similar level and are only one point apart in the Premier League table. Against this backdrop, we are going for a draw in regular time in our Everton vs. Sunderland prediction.
The promoted team is currently impressing from a defensive perspective, among other things: French coach Regis Le Bris’s team has conceded an average of only one goal in the last five competitive games. They recently held Manchester City, who were at the top of their game with the comeback of the extra-strong midfielder Rodri, and thus the best attack in the Premier League, to a goalless draw!
As Sunderland are also very harmless offensively in league play away from home, with only five goals in eleven games, goals are few and far between in AFC’s away games. Only 1.7 goals are scored in these encounters – the lowest figure in the Premier League away ranking.
Everton – Sunderland Head-to-head record
The last direct duel between the team from Hill Dickinson Stadium and the Black Cats took place in November last year in the Premier League in Sunderland. It ended in a draw (1-1), and thanks to that draw, the 13th-placed team from last season’s Premier League is unbeaten in four games against AFC (3-1-0).
Furthermore, the home side conceded only one goal in this review. On top of that, away wins for the team from the Stadium of Light on the Mersey have been rare in the past: across all competitions, only two of the club’s last 19 away games in the northeast of the country have ended in defeat for the hosts (2-3-14).
The bookmakers now see coach David Moyes’ home team as favorites again in the Everton vs. Sunderland odds.
Everton – Sunderland Tip
Everton and Sunderland are performing equally well in the Premier League this season and, as a result, the teams are almost neighbors in the Premier League table, in tenth and twelfth place respectively. The upcoming FA Cup match should therefore be very evenly matched and we cannot identify a favorite in advance. Given this starting situation, the betting odds for a draw in the match between Everton and Sunderland are recommended.
The nature of the encounter also supports this. In this cup match, both teams will focus primarily on preventing goals. Furthermore, the two-time FA Cup winners (1937 and 1973) have a strong defense anyway, and draws are not uncommon for them this season. In fact, nine of their 21 league games have also ended in a draw – the highest number in the Premier League!
