Drenthe Vs Bale
Everton and Spurs differ greatly, this season, in terms of performances with Everton suffering their customary slow start. However, the sides have one thing in common; fast wingers. Royston Drenthe and Gareth Bale do very little, in terms of defending. The other side is what they offer; lightning pace, an eye for a goal and a continuous attacking threat.
 
Whilst Bale is a first team regular at Tottenham, Drenthe often has to settle for the role of impact sub. However, there is not much to separate the two, as Drenthe comes out on top in several categories with others closely contested. Many regard Bale, as one of the world’s best; Drenthe is some way short of that. However, Drenthe is a big positive for Everton and his current form warrants a regular starting place. Ironically, Drenthe could miss out, thanks to Bale, as David Moyes looks to neutralise Bale’s threat down the Everton right.
Everton’s injuries are clearing up with only Darron Gibson and Steven Pienaar unavailable. Gibson’ knee injury keeps him out and Pienaar misses out due to the terms of his loan. Phil Jagielka, Victor Anichebe, Leon Osman and Jack Rodwell are pushing for recalls, after playing for the reserves in midweek.
Tottenham are waiting to find out how bad Aaron Lennon’s hamstring injury is. Michael Dawson is out after picking up a serious knee injury in midweek. Spurs will check on Louis Saha’s knee before the game, as he returns to his former club. Tom Huddleston remains a long-term absentee. Gareth Bale and Rafael van der Vaart featured in midweek, after recent injuries, and are likely to start.
Everton will be looking to improve their good, recent home form against Tottenham with the visitors aiming to beat their 5-year drought at Goodison Park. The Toffees’ confidence is high and they will be after a fast start, especially with Spurs gaining just four points from losing positions. Tottenham will be aware of the fact that they have only lost three times at Goodison Park since 1992.
Tottenham are the league’s leading scorers in the opening 15 minutes with Everton the leading scorers in the last 15 minutes. This is an evening kick-off that promises a lot; Everton raise their game against the better teams and Tottenham are a constant threat. ESPN have the television rights for this one; some Saturday night entertainment that is actually worth watching.
Match Facts
Tottenham have won just 2 of the last 9 league meetings with Everton
Only Wigan (23) have scored less than Everton (27)
Only Manchester City (19), Liverpool (23) and Manchester United (27) have conceded less than Everton (28)
Everton have scored 70% of their goals in the second half – a league high
Everton’s next defeat will be David Moyes’Â 150th as Everton manager
All of the stats from this article have been taken from the Opta Stats Centre at EPLIndex.com – Subscribe Now (Includes a author privileges!) See Demo’s and videos about the Stats Centre & read about new additions to the stats centre.
