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EFL Cup fourth round: betting preview, tips & match details
Everton can ease the pressure on manager Marco Silva with Watford win
Free football tips for the EFL Cup fourth round.
When to bet
Kick-offs 7.45pm Tuesday
Best bets
Everton
2pts 3-4 general
Oxford
1pt 6-4general
Colchester
1pt 13-8 general
EFL Cup fourth round preview
Marco Silva took aim at VAR after watching Everton slide to a 3-2 defeat at Brighton on Saturday but his mood could be lifted by an EFL Cup fourth-round victory over his former club Watford at Goodison Park.
Matches between Everton and Watford have had an extra edge since October 2017 when Silva, then in charge of the Hornets, was approached by the Toffees to become their new manager.
Watford refused to budge and Everton had to wait until the summer of 2018 to appoint Silva on a three-year-contract.
Silva was initially a popular choice among Everton fans happy to see the back of the direct tactics favoured by Sam Allardyce.
But patience with the Portuguese is wearing thin after six defeats in ten league matches.
Everton might have anticipated pushing for a top-six finish before the season started but it seems more likely they could be dragged into a relegation battle.
Among their next eight league games are five matches against established big six clubs and a tough trip to highflying Leicester, but Silva is unlikely to look beyond the match against Watford which could be crucial in getting supporters back onside.
He went with strong selections in the previous rounds and was rewarded with victories away to Lincoln (4-2) and Sheffield Wednesday (2-0).
Silva's commitment to the competition is unlikely to change but Watford boss Quique Sanchez Flores might not be as concerned about winning the tie.
Watford are rooted to the foot of the Premier League, four points adrift of safety, and their priority is Saturday's league clash at home to Chelsea.
Flores has focused on tightening up at the back and had some success with Watford conceding just once in their last three games.
However, the Hornets are the top flight's lowest scorers and could be even less of a threat at Everton with key attackers Gerard Deulofeu and Roberto Pereyra likely to given a breather.
There is very little depth to Watford's attack (Danny Welbeck and Troy Deeney remain injured) and it is hard to see them putting up a serious challenge on Merseyside.
Oxford are playing some of the best football outside of the top two divisions and look a solid bet to defeat Sky Bet League One rivals Sunderland in their fourth-round tie at the Kassam Stadium.
Sunderland's progress to the last 16 has featured victories at Burnley (3-1) and Sheffield United (1-0) but those performances were outshone by Oxford, who won 4-0 at home to West Ham in the third round.
Oxford's success over the Hammers is just part of a ten-match unbeaten run which has seen them emerge as strong contenders in the League One promotion race
Karl Robinson's side moved up to fifth with a dominant 3-0 win at home to Rochdale on Saturday and are three points superior to Sunderland, who lost 1-0 at Shrewsbury.
The Black Cats have lost two of three matches under their new manager Phil Parkinson and another reverse is on the cards.
Colchester have produced major shocks by dumping Crystal Palace and Tottenham out of the competition and can advance to the quarter-finals with a victory at League Two rivals Crawley.
The contest is a repeat of the league fixture earlier this month which Crawley came from behind to win 2-1.
Since then Crawley have taken just one point from three games and they may struggle to contain their Essex visitors, who triumphed 3-1 at home to Newport on Saturday.
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