Everton are riding high

There was a time last season when Roberto Martinez was under real pressure at Everton. He is a manager that has strong ideas on how his team should okay and is now getting the very best out of them. It is almost unbelievable that the toffees ever wondered if Roberto Martinez was the right appointment when he arrived from Wigan Athletic. He has lasted the course and he now has some young players under his guidance that are really amongst the best in the Premier league.

Everton are flying high, but the Cherries will try and pull them down a peg or two.

At home Everton have been irresistible. The 4-0 demolition of Aston Villa sets them up nicely for the south coast meeting with AFC Bournemouth side that have been humbled in recent weeks by some of the heavyweights of the division. Kone, Lukaku and Barkley are just the start of the problems for the Cherries. The performances of Funes Mori on the right and the marauding qualities of John Stone, playing out from the back are something that Bournemouth's players would do well to emulate in time. They also have Scotsman Steven Naismith to come on if they are struggling to open teams up.

For all Everton's strength though they have been prone to falling short of maximum points away from home and AFCB have to make it as difficult as they can for the toffees. That will mean trying to wrestle possession away from them at every opportunity. Everton will be one of the teams that will come and play at Dean Court and it is up to the Cherries to raise their game for the challenge.

Everton have scored in their last three away games and they have already kept clean sheets in away games at Spurs, Swansea and Southampton. It is a big ask for the Cherries to get something from this game, but I really hope that both Dan Gosling and Eunan O'Kane are involved as their determination to do well in such a fixture could yet help provide an unlikely result.

Everton Away Form
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AFCB Home Form
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Possible AFCB team
Cherries team: (4-5-1) Federici (GK), Francis (RD), Cook (CD), Distin (CD), Daniels (LD), Ritchie (RM), Arter (CM), Gosling (CM), Surman (CM), Stanislas (LM), King (FW)

Bench: (GK) Boroc, Bennett (LD), Cargill (CD), O’Kane (CM), Pugh, (FW), Kermorgant, (FW), Murray (FW)