Prediction: Everton vs Birmingham

25th December 2010

Everton prepared in the best possible way for the hectic Christmas schedule having beaten Manchester City at Eastlands and everyone now expect the Toffes to continue their climb up the table. Birmingham, on the other hand, had plenty of time to ponder on the derby defeat to Wolves after their weekend’s game with Newcastle was postponed.

This has been a pretty difficult season for the Everton fans as they had to endure more than few under-par performances from their beloved team, which were tipped for stardom before the league campaign kicked off. The Toffees have only showed glimpses of quality this term, but they now seem to have finally found some consistency, with their last three performances leaving little to be desired. After bringing one point from Stamford Bridge, Everton showed a lot of promise against Wigan even if they failed to take three points, before recording a morale boosting victory over Manchester City at Eastlands. The good performance against one of the strongest teams in the Premiership has certainly helped the players return some of the lost confidence and that could be just the boost they need to turn this season around. David Moyes will welcome back Mikel Arteta from suspension, but now Victor Anichebe is banned after picking up a red card against City, while Phil Jagielka, Steven Pienaar and John Heitinga remain injury doubts.

Birmingham, too, are playing below all expectations but unlike Everton, they are not even showing a lot of potential. Alex McLeish’s side cannot seem to rediscover the form that served them so well last season and they are now in a position to even worry about their Premiership status. After taking just two points from their last three league games, the Blues sit just above the relegation zone, which is definitely not where they want to be at the moment. The derby defeat to Wolves showed Brum are far from the desired form, with their dismal away record only making things worse before the trip to Liverpool. Alex McLeish is still struggling to get the best out of his players and unless the Blues show a massive improvement at Goodison Park, they will lose this game. Liam Ridgewell returns to the side after recovering from illness, but Alex Hleb remains doubtful with injury.

Conclusion

It is high time Everton started climbing the Premiership table with the win at Eastlands definitely a step in the right direction. The return of Mikel Arteta will be a big boost for the hosts and they are expected to do the double over Birmingham after beating them at St Andrew’s in October.

Verdict: Home win Everton (1)

Best Odds: 8/13

Bookmaker: Paddy Power