Everton are big favourites to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals

No one should be fooled by Everton's league recent slip up against WBA. They are a side that can open up teams and play some sparkling football. As a cup side they are used to reaching the latter stages of competitions and playing away from home probably sits easier with Roberto Martinez' side than if they had been drawn at Goodison Park where the crowd can get on their backs.

Everton will see this draw as a good one to progress in the competition.

Everton reached the Fifth round of the FA Cup having beaten Dagenham & Redbridge 2-0 at hime and Carlise 0-3 away from home. Martinez has experimented with his line ups in the cup with Arouna Kone and Pienaar more often getting starts. Aaron Lennon has used the cup games to force his way into the main side and the speedy England winger could feature again against the Cherries. 

Everton will know what to expect when they visit
Dean Court for the second time this season.

AFCB have to be mindful of the attacking strength of Everton as they could play virtually a first team side for this game with Romelo Lukaku and Ross Barkley on show. They managed 35 shots against WBA in their last league game and will not be shy coming forward at Dean Court. Lukaku is actually having a quiet spell having not added to his penalty kick against Stoke a couple of weeks ago. But the striker has 20 goals in league and cup this season and will be the chief danger for the Cherries if he plays. While new signing Oumar Niasse has a wrist injury he will be assessed and could make the team playing with a soft cast.

Everton will be keen to do well in the FA Cup having got so close to Wembley in the Capital One Cup. But Everton are the draw specialists and that has hindered their season. They do concede goals and usually after they have been ahead. It is a competition that the Toffees know they can win and it is a last chance saloon for them to pick up silverware just like it is for AFCB so I expect a very brisk game with both sides going all out for early goals.

Possible Everton team
Robles, Galloway, Jagielka, Funes Mori, Coleman, Duelofeu, Cleverly, McCarthy, Lennon, Barkley, Lukaku

Everton Subs: Howard, Baines, Pienaar, Mirallas, Barry, Kone, Niasse, 

Possible AFCB team

Federici, Francis, Elphick, Distin, Daniels, Surman, Iturbe, Arter, Gosling, Stanislas, King

AFCB Subs: Boruc, Cook, Smith, Ritchie, O'Kane, Grabban, Afobe 


Give me the Minute of the First Goal Scored!
This week we are having a slight change to the usual score prediction challenge. Now we are asking you in what minute will the first goal be scored between AFCB and Everton - also put down the goal scorer, if you really feel that you know it all! For a chance to win Tweet me, before Saturday morning, the predicted minute of the first goal to @PeterBell19

The closest minute time to the actual goal going in will win the prize no matter which team the goal goes in for. If we have more than one winner we will draw the winner from a hat.

The prize this week is the AFC Bournemouth sweat bands that no one was able to walk off with last week!

AFCB must swat the Bees on the south coast

I said the week before the fixtures were announced that I didn't want AFCB to play any of the newly promoted sides to the Championship in the first month. So much for that wish! The fixture computer has picked out Brentford nice and early and while their supporters will enjoy being out and about on the south coast in August there is an early warning here for the Cherries because we know what it is like to be supporting your team in those first few games in the Championship. They will have great expectation and their players will feed off of it and I have no doubt that Brentford are capable of thriving in the Championship just as AFCB did last season.

Nico Yennaris is now on Brentford's books.

Mark Warburton has done a terrific job as Brentford's manager and while he took over a successful team that had been building for a couple of years things really clicked for the Bees when Warburton took over the reigns. He has added to the squad over the summer and one interesting signing will be familiar to AFCB supporters even though he never managed to play a game for the Cherries last season, while he was at the club on loan during last December. That's right, Nico Yennaris has signed for the Bees from Arsenal. Nico was on the subs bench for the Charlton match but did not get on the pitch, while in mid-week he started in the Capital One Cup against Dagenham & Redbridge he was subbed for Bidwell, having been injured after just 21 minutes. Many will also remember keeper David Button who also had a loan spell at the Cherries who has been at Brentford for just over a year now.

He was substituted early though in the mid-week
game and is unlikely to feature at Dean Court.

New signings have been bolstering the squad with Andre Gray, Scott Hogan and Moses Odubago quick to be snapped up by Warburton who has been happy to plunder leagues One and Two. He should have the players to continue the Bees' 4-3-3 line up which paid dividends last season. Tommy Smith has also been signed to give them experience in midfield, while they have kept hold of Toumani Diagouraga who gives them plenty of running power and Adam Forshaw who Wigan have been interested in.

Brentford will be looking for goals from Will Grigg and new signings Moses Odubago and Nick Proschwitz you would think. Hogan has only just returned to training this week. It was Pritchard and Gray though who started for the Bees against Charlton last weekend. Whether Brentford struggle for goals up front this season we will just have to see. In the Charlton game their goal came from Tommy Smith and they left it late in the 85th minute. They will be keen to get their first win and AFCB will have to be patient as I believe they will try and get men behind the ball and play on the break.

Their extra time in the Capital One Cup could be seen as a bit of a negative for the Bees with Dallas, Judge, Gray, Craig and Bidwell playing more minutes than their manager probably would have liked. They certainly were not lacking goals that night though as the match went to 6-6 in extra time having been 4-4 after 90 minutes. A 4-2 penalty win will not have dented their enthusiasm for Saturday's game though, while AFCB will be out to get that second league win.

Update: Brentford have signed two  midfielders today: Jose Peleteiro Ramallo (Jota) from Celta Vigo and Jon Toral from Arsenal on a year-log loan.