Following some easy wins over the lower division sides in the FA Cup 3rd round, Everton and Fulham are now set to lock horns in what should be a very interesting game at Craven Cottage.

This FA Cup tie could provide the Toffees a welcoming break from their Premier League exploits, and the players are likely to jump at the opportunity to get their minds of the difficult league campaign.

David Moyes’ side have been unable to really get going in the Premiership and the four-match winless run saw them slip to 14th place in the standings.

Everton are still eight points clear of the bottom three, but they need to show some improvement quickly so as to avoid the relegation battle.

Being in desperate need of a morale-boosting victory, David Moyes is likely to field a very strong side, but taking into account team’s poor form, odds of 2.05 (21/20) offered by William Hill on home win don’t look too impressive.

Royston Drenthe is set to return to the starting line-up, whereas Jack Rodwell is expected to recover from a hamstring problem. However, Leon Osman, Sylvain Distin and Phil Jagielka remain sidelined, whereas Diniyar Bilyaletdinov is set to complete his move to Spartak Moscow.

Probable starting line-up (4-4-1-1): Howard – Neville, Duffy, Heitinga, Baines – Donovan, Gibson, Fellaini, Drenthe – Cahill – Anichebe.

The arrival of coach Martin Jol and hectic schedule at the start to the season prevented Fulham from hitting the ground running in the Premiership, but the team are slowly returning to the right track.

Summer signings Bryan Ruiz and John Arne Riise have finally started proving their potential, but it is Clint Dempsey who stole the show of late.

The USA international recently scored hat-tricks against Charlton and Newcastle, and he is now 4.00 (3/1) with bet365 to score against Everton as well.

Fulham go into this game on the back of an impressive 5:2 victory over Newcastle, meaning they will fancy their chances in this clash, even if boss Martin Jol is set to rest several star players.

Moussa Dembele and Dickson Etuhu could return from injury, but Steve Sidwell is doubtful. Mark Schwarzer and Zdenek Grygera remain long-term worries.

Probable starting line-up (4-4-2): Stockdale – Kelly, Hangeland, Senderos, Riise – Dempsey, Frei, Etuhu, Dembele – Ruiz, Johnson.