Everton will be feeling fresh when they welcome Swansea in the FA Cup fifth round tie with their weekend’s match against Crystal Palace postponed, with the Toffees eager to finally make it to the final stages of a cup competition. Meanwhile, the Swans arrive at Goodison Park in confident mood having finally returned to the right track in the Premier League.

Martinez wants another title

It was Roberto Martinez who led Wigan Athletic to the FA Cup trophy last season and he is hoping to do it all over again with Everton. And despite the fact the top 4 sides are still in the draw, I certainly wouldn’t bet against the Toffees going all the way. The team have shown a great deal of improvement under the Spanish manager, and even with fourth-placed Liverpool slowly getting away, they have plenty of reason for optimism. January signings Lacina Traore and Aiden McGeady have further increased competition for places and the Ivorian is likely to come in handy now that Romelu Lukaku is out injured. The Toffees did lose their last fixture to Tottenham, but they should definitely have taken something from White Hart Lane having missed several good chances to score. And having had a full week’s rest ahead of the FA Cup clash against Swansea, Roberto Martinez is widely tipped to field his strongest line-up in an attempt to reach the competition quarter-finals, which clearly makes his side favourites to progress into the next stage.

Romelu Lukaku and Antolin Alcaraz remain on the sidelines, but Lacina Traore is tipped for his first start in Everton shirt.

Gary Monk enjoys perfect start

Swansea chiefs surprised everyone when they decided to sack boss Michael Laudrup after the West Ham defeat, with former club captain Gary Monk appointed as a replacement. With the Swans sitting in dangerous zone and set for a relegation six-pointer against South Wales rivals Cardiff City, nobody could blame the fans for anxiety they were feeling at the moment. Nevertheless, Swansea produced a perfect performance to record a 3-0 triumph over their rivals, thus seriously improving their survival chances. And having then held Stoke City to a 1-1 draw at Britannia, the Swans clearly go into the Everton clash full of confidence. However, the players could feel the ill-effects of the busy schedule, especially since Laudrup and Monk were not able to rotate the squad due to the long injury list. And even though both Jonjo Shelvey and Michu could return at Goodison Park, it remains to be seen how much they can help the team at the time when they are not even close to match fitness.

Gary Monk is hoping to have Michu, Jonjo Shelvey and Alejandro Pozuelo available, but January signings Marvin Emnes and David Ngog are cup-tied.

Verdict

Having had extra three days of rest and with only Lukaku unavailable, Everton have got to be considered favourites to win the clash in regulation time. Swansea may have shown some improvement of late, but playing Cardiff at home is not the same as facing the Toffees away, as Gary Monk’s side is set to learn the hard way.

Top pick: Home win   1.67 (2/3) @ William Hill

Alternative pick 1: Under 2.5 goals   1.95 (19/20) @ bet365

Alternative pick 2: Everton to win to nil   2.75 (7/4) @ Skybet