EVERTON v WEST BROMWICH ALBION
Barclays Premier League
Wednesday 30th January 2013, 7:45pm
Goodison Park

MATCH NOTES

This is the 157th league and cup meeting between Albion and Everton. The Toffees currently lead the way in the victory stakes with 64 compared to Albion's 58.

Albion's only win in their last 13 league matches at Goodison Park was the 4-1 victory in November 2010 under Roberto Di Matteo.

Albion and Reading are the only Premer League teams yet to keep a clean sheet away from home this season.

The Baggies have met Everton once before on January 30, in a FA Cup tie at The Hawthorns in 1974. Albion won the fourth round replay 1-0 thanks to a Tony Brown goal.

TEAM NEWS

Albion

Baggies' boss Steve Clarke has an almost fully fit squad to choose from but will be without Zoltan Gera, Youssouf Mulumbu and Peter Odemwingie.

Gera is out for the rest of the season through injury whilst Mulumbu has yet to return to the club after being away on African Cup duty.

Odemwingie has been left out of the squad with the club insisting it is because of his wife having just given birth. Many fans however see his desire to leave the club this week and his recent Twitter outbursts as being more likely reasons.

Squad: Foster, Myhill, Daniels, Reid, Jones, Olsson, McAuley, Tamas, Popov, Ridgewell, Dorrans, Yacob, Thorne, Brunt, Morrison, Thomas, Odemwingie, Long, Lukaku, Fortune, Rosenberg, El Ghanassy, Nabi.

Everton

Everton could be without Kevin Mirallas, Seamus Coleman and Darron Gibson.

Winger Mirallas limped off with a hamstring problem during Saturday's FA Cup win over Bolton whilst full-back Coleman is suffering from a thigh injury.

Midfielder Gibson is also a doubt after suffering a set-back with his thigh injury.

Squad: Howard, Jagielka, Distin, Heitinga, Baines, Oviedo, Naismith, Hitzlsperger, Osman, Pienaar, Fellaini, Jelavic, Mucha, Duffy, Neville, Anichebe, Vellios, Gueye.

QUOTES

Baggies' midfielder James Morrison:

“Everyone said at the start of the season that we wouldn’t get anything out of the opening three games against these same teams and we did. We can take a lot of confidence from those games. We just need to get back into the state of mind we were in at the start of the season. Whether it’s fatigue or something else we’ve been struggling with, we need to try and get back there. We’ve had the weekend off to recharge the batteries ahead of the games against Everton and Tottenham and we shouldn’t have any fear going into those games. We just need to get some confidence back into our play. We’ve now got three games coming up against teams that are in and around us that can define our season.”

“Just imagine where we would be if we’d picked up a few more points. We’re still eighth so let’s look at that as a positive. People forget where we’ve been and where we’ve come from. Expectations change a lot when you’re doing well. If we just look at it that way - we’re eighth, while in recent years we’ve been struggling down the bottom at this stage. We need to keep going and get back to the way we’ve been - and just try and enjoy it.”

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Everton boss David Moyes:

On Everton’s season and Wednesday's game:

"We've worked hard to be in a strong position in the Premier League. We're slightly disappointed that we drew the last two games but it hasn't got us in any worse position.

"We've now got a couple of home games and we have to try to take advantage of it. But West Brom are a tough nut to crack. They're one of the only teams who have beaten us this season, and I think Steve Clarke's done a really good job.

"If anybody's turning up thinking this is a foregone conclusion, they're quite a bit off the mark I think.

"We just have to keep ploughing on and picking up the points. January's a long hard month, which it's proved to be. Once we come out of this month we can maybe look to see where we've got to go."

On Steve Clarke and Albion:

"With his experience, the managers he's worked under and the clubs he's been at, it was probably the right time, and I think a good club for him to join as well.

"West Brom are quite a stable club, they've certainly got some good players. When you win the games and you get off to a good start, that definitely helps the way people perceive you, and Steve deserves that.

"I can see them certainly finishing in the top half, and I think if you'd given that to Steve at the start of the season he'd have taken it. Maybe now he's looking for much more. He's trying to chase us down and they've done really well."

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MATCH ODDS

Result

Albion Win: 9/2, Everton Win: 8/13, Draw: 11/4.

First Goalscorer

Fellaini 5/1, Jelavic 5/1, Anichebe 6/1, Mirallas 7/1, Lukaku 7/1, Naismith 8/1, Vellios 8/1, Long 8/1, Gueye 10/1, Kennedy 10/1, Osman 11/1, Pienaar 11/1, Fortune 12/1, Nabi 12/1, Rosenberg 12/1, Baines 14/1, Morrison 14/1, Gibson 16/1, Brunt 16/1, Dorrans 16/1, El Ghanassy 16/1, Thomas 16/1, Hitzlsperger 18/1, Thorne 20/1.

REFEREE

Michael Oliver (Northumberland)

Has refereed two Albion games so far this season - the 2-1 defeat at home to Liverpool in the Capital One Cup back in September and the 2-1 win over Chelsea at The Hawthorns in November.

Oliver took charge of three Albion games last season - The 1-1 draw at Wigan in March; the 2-1 defeat at home to Norwich in the FA Cup in January and the 3-0 defeat at Arsenal in November.

The Northumberland official has refereed Everton twice this season - The 3-1 away win against Aston Villa in August and the 1-1 draw at home to Arsenal in November.

TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets for away supporters will remain on general sale at the Albion ticket office until 1pm on the day of the game.

Seats will also be available on the Goodison Park turnstiles with Albion initially allocated 1,800 tickets for the fixture.

Prices in the Lower Bullen are £32 adults, £20.25 over-65s and £16 under-16s; and in the Paddock they are £35 adults, £21.75 over-65s and £17.50 under-16s.

WEATHER FORECAST

Clear and dry, 7°C.

FIXTURE HISTORY

Albion's last victory against Everton at Goodison Park came in November 2010 under Roberto Di Matteo. Goals from Paul Scharner, Chris Brunt, Somen Tchoyi and Youssouf Mulumbu helped the Baggies record a 4-1 win, the club's biggest victory of the season.

LAST MEETING AT GOODISON PARK

Everton 2-0 Albion
Barclays Premier League
Saturday 31st March 2012, 3.00pm

Everton: Howard, Hibbert, Jagielka, Heitinga, Baines, Osman (Gueye 46), Gibson, Fellaini, Pienaar, Cahill (Anichebe 62), Jelavic (McFadden 87). Subs not used: Mucha, Stracqualursi, Distin, Neville.

Goalscorers: McAuley 18 (own goal), Anichebe 68

Booked: Jelavic 55 (foul), Cahill 60 (foul)

Albion: Foster, Jones, McAuley, Olsson, Ridgewell, Brunt (Cox 77), Andrews, Scharner (Dorrans 67), Tchoyi (Fortune 73), Long, Odemwingie. Subs not used: Daniels, Shorey, Mulumbu, Dawson.

Booked: Olsson 65 (foul)

Attendance: 32,051

Referee: Peter Walton (Northamptonshire)

Everton sent out an early warning to Liverpool ahead of next month's FA Cup semi-final by overtaking their Merseyside rivals in the Barclays Premier League table after victory over West Brom.

For most of the season the Toffees have toiled to recover from another characteristically slow start, but since the turn of the year they have generated significant momentum. Just two defeats in 11 league matches has seen them rise to seventh and, although Liverpool can reclaim the advantage at Newcastle tomorrow, David Moyes' team have found form and confidence at exactly the right time. The Everton manager insists the focus remains on improving their league position and not the all-Merseyside encounter at Wembley in a fortnight's time, and on current evidence he is right to do so.

It may not have been the most fluent of performances but importantly they got the job done with goals in either half. Leon Osman may have his work cut out persuading the Premier League he should be credited with the first after a huge deflection off Gareth McAuley provided the decisive touch, but there was no doubt about substitute Victor Anichebe's second.

Aside from the hosts' 18th-minute opener, there were few incidents of note in the first half. Osman, heading wide Leighton Baines' cross, and Darron Gibson, firing just over, both served early warnings to West Brom. However, with Everton having exerted plenty of energy in booking an FA Cup semi-final place at Sunderland in midweek, it took the home side a while to find their fluency. It came in ideal fashion as a good passage of possession play brought the goal and was probably the only period of the first half when they looked as though they were in real control. When the ball was eventually worked to Osman in the inside right channel, he turned experienced defender Liam Ridgewell far too easily and offloaded to Nikica Jelavic on the edge of the penalty area. The Croatia striker returned the pass and Osman fired goalwards only for the ball to take a huge deflection off McAuley and leave goalkeeper Ben Foster stranded. West Brom's only chance of the half almost brought the equaliser when Tim Howard pushed Paul Scharner's shot into the path of Chris Brunt at the far post but the winger's attempt to smash home the rebound hit Shane Long and went behind. Marouane Fellaini's low, long-range effort was tipped around the post by Foster before the Belgium midfielder reacted angrily to Keith Andrews raking his studs down his Achilles tendon but referee Peter Walton - in his final Premier League match before becoming general manager of the Professional Referee Organisation for the United States and Canada - awarded only a free-kick.

Magaye Gueye replaced Osman for the start of the second half but the early incidents all involved Jelavic. He had a half-chance from a near-post header which Foster caught easily before he was booked for catching Ridgewell on the back of the head with his arm. West Brom's left-back was also on the receiving end of a late tackle from Tim Cahill, who was yellow-carded. The Australia international was then replaced by Anichebe with just over an hour gone. Everton appeared to have lost their way with West Brom showing signs of improvement but Jonas Olsson's foul on Steven Pienaar, which also warranted a caution, presented a good opportunity to establish a cushion only for Jelavic to curl his shot over. Anichebe showed his fellow striker how it should be done in the 68th minute when he fired in off the far post after Pienaar's diagonal run. Pienaar should have put the result beyond doubt in the 74th minute having been played in by Jelavic but he shot straight at Foster. Jelavic then headed wide Baines' shot and Gueye shot at Foster as, with the confidence of a two-goal lead, Everton attacked more fluidly. Things were not so happy in the West Brom camp with Foster and Peter Odemwingie exchanging heated words as frustrations bubbled over late on.

Sporting Life

CURRENT CONNECTIONS

None.

PAST CONNECTIONS

Amongst the players to have turned out at various levels for both clubs are: Brett Angell, Laurie Bell, Walter Boyes, David Burrows, John Cameron, Kevin Campbell, Stan Davies, Thomas Dilly, Peter Eastoe, Albert Flewitt, Tony Grant, Andy Gray, Asa Hartford, Paul Holmes, William Jordan, Kevin Kilbane, Andy King, Ken McNaught, Bruce Rankin, Sid Rawlings, Fred Rouse, John Thomas, Mickey Thomas, Imre Varadi and Steve Watson.

ALL-TIME LEAGUE & CUP RECORD VS EVERTON