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The majority of eyes will be on the goings on at White Hart Lane this evening, but it mustn’t be forgotten that there is a crucial Premier League tie taking place at Goodison Park.
10th place Everton host relegation threatened Birmingham City, with a positive result much needed for both teams.
David Moyes’ men can climb above Sunderland and Newcastle into 8th with a win, something that would be extremely encouraging when you consider the inconsistent season they have had.
Birmingham need the points for different reasons. They may well still be basking in the glory of their Carling Cup win, but the much more pressing matter at the moment is their Premier League survival.
The Blues sit in the relegation zone at present and will be desperate to make the most of one of their two games in hand this evening. In fact, victory would take them as high as 14th and give them a much needed cushion as we enter the final stages of the season.
Looking at the team news, Everton are waiting on the fitness of Phil Neville after he suffered a hamstring strain against Newcastle United at the weekend.
Birmingham on the other hand are keeping their medical team very busy indeed. There are doubts over the availability of Nikola Zigic, Alexander Hleb and Liam Ridgewell and last minute decisions may be made on all three.
Everton will see this game as a chance to build on their recent good form. The Toffees are looking for their third consecutive win in the league for the first time this season and will no doubt be favourites to come out on top.
Birmingham will take heart from a certain statistic from when these sides meet though. There hasn’t been a home win in the last five occasions.
Will this continue this evening? Can Birmingham record a crucial away victory to ease their relegation fears? Or will Everton continue their surge up the Premier League table?
Most attention will be paid to Tottenham v AC Milan in the Champions League tonight, but this one isn’t a fixture to be ignored.
It is two hard-working Premier League teams going for a win that could shape up the remainder of their season.
