FA CUP FIFTH ROUND: The Striker previews Thursday’s game between EVERTON v BOREHAM WOOD with a recommended BETDAQ bet.

EVERTON V BOREHAM WOOD

8.15pm We finish the midweek FA Cup action on BETDAQ Betting Exchange with Everton hosting the non-league Boreham Wood. Although nobody will be expecting Boreham Wood to win here, Everton have been terrible this season and are currently in a relegation battle in the Premier League so we could easily see some “magic of the Cup” here. In reality though Everton should really outclass this non-league side and the markets can only see an easy home win with Everton trading as short as 1.14.

Boreham Wood weren’t expected to beat Bournemouth away from home in the last round but they pulled off a shock 1-0 win. You can’t help but take a shine to Boreham Wood given their story this season – even to just reach this stage of the FA Cup is an incredible achievement. It’s a tricky situation for Frank Lampard here because in a “normal season” he could probably rest half of his squad here and still get the job done, but he can’t risk a setback here given what a bad run of form they are on in the Premier League. Imagine the morale if they lost here, and also the pressure from the UK media.

It’s sometimes hard to really weigh up these games because there is such a gulf in class between the sides. Everton didn’t lay too badly at the weekend against Manchester City, and obviously we had all the handball drama too but apart from their 3-0 win over Leeds recently there aren’t many positives for Frank Lampard. He will be glad this fixture is at home, because they were very poor away to Southampton and Newcastle.

If Boreham Wood managed to pull off a major shock and win, they would become only the second ever non-league side to reach the Quarter Finals of the FA Cup. It’s hard to know what to make of the Boreham Wood non-league form, but they haven’t managed to score in their last three away games which isn’t exactly a confidence booster. They probably had all their focus on this tie though to be fair! They have nothing to lose here, and have to “have a go!”

With Everton trading so short in the match odds market, it makes sense to look around the side markets for some value. I can’t see past an Everton win here to be honest, I know they have been very poor this season but there’s such a gulf in class here it’s hard to see anything bar a win for the Premier League side. While I feel Everton will win, I don’t see it being easy for pretty. They’ll have to grind out a win as they haven’t been scoring or creating chances lately. This is a game for small stakes, but I’m happy to have a small stake on Boreham Wood with a 2.5 goal handicap. I struggle to see Everton winning by more than that.

The Striker Says:
One point win Boreham Wood +2.5 goals to beat Everton at 1.75 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.

You can view all markets here -> https://bit.ly/BDQEveBor