EVERTON 24/09, 7:45PM
A mouth-watering tie awaits as Premier League Everton visit S6 on Tuesday evening.
And nostalgia may be in the air as the 1966 FA Cup final combatants go head to head in cup competition once more. Everton, of course, triumphed 3-2 over 50 years ago having overturned a 2-0 deficit at Wembley.
In the League Cup, neither side have excelled in more recent years, with the 2015/16 season serving as the last time either passed the quarter final stage.
In the three following seasons, neither the Owls nor the Toffees have won more than two games in the competition.
Despite the dominance of the 'big six' in the Premier League, Everton hold hopes of breaking through this campaign.
On the cup front. the Toffees are sharing their city with the European champions and Evertonians will be keen to have their own silverware to enjoy.
Nevertheless, they will have undoubtedly one eye on the bread and butter of the Premier League, and boss Marco Silva may ring the changes to give game time to fringe players yet to make an impact at Goodison Park this term.
MIDDLESBROUGH 28/09, 3:00PM
Boro are a long established football club on these shores and beyond, whilst sharing a unique bond with North Korea.
Their former home of Ayresome Park was one of the host stadiums for the 1966 World Cup here in England as Middlesbrough housed the North Korean squad during the group stages.
By far the most momentous occasion unfolded when North Korea beat Italy 1-0 against all the odds at Ayresome Park when Pak Doo-ik stepped up to put his name in the World Cup history books forever.
As was expected, Italy were the much better team technically but the North Koreans rocked the World Cup with their stunning success and the many thousands of local fans in attendance were in full support of the underdogs.
When Ayresome Park was scheduled to be demolished in the 1990s, an Italian journalist called the local newspaper stating the stadium should be preserved and stand as a permanent reminder of the Italian national team's worst ever defeat. Alas, that call was to no avail!
To commemorate the historical World Cup upset there stands a bronze casting of a ball erected on the old Ayresome Park housing estate to mark the spot from where Pak Doo-ik scored his famous goal.
Members of that renowned North Korea squad returned to Middlesbrough in 2002 and Pak Doo-ik in particular received a great reception when he was invited on to the pitch at Boro's new Riverside Stadium home.
Peter Jones @PeterKennyJones
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