Everton set for Tottenham challenge as Emirates FA Cup enters fifth round

• Copa del Rey, Coppa Italia also return

HIGH- RIDINGEVERTON will tomorrow take on Tottenham Hotspur in the fifth round of the Emirates FA Cup, which begins today. The match heralds the festival of football this month on StarTimes, which promises to be quite exciting as top domestic cup competitions peak in Europe.

This week, apart from the Emirates FA Cup, Coppa Italia and Copa del Rey will also enter their semi- final stages.

All matches will be broadcast live and in HD on StarTimes Sports channels.

Today, Bruno Fernandes’ Manchester United are at home against West Ham at 8: 30 pm. Tomorrow, the Special One, Jose Mourinho, travels to Liverpool, where Tottenham Hotspur take on Everton at 9: 15 pm; while Swansea host Man City at 6: 30 pm, among other FA Cup fixtures airing from today to Friday. Fierce rivals Juventus and Inter Milan resume hostilities in the Coppa Italia this evening, with the hosts having one foot in the final after a 2- 1 first- leg success last week. Tomorrow, Atalanta face Napoli at 8: 45 pm. The Spanish Copa del Rey first- leg semi- final matches will be played tomorrow and Thursday. Barça now know who stands between them and a place in the final of the Copa del Rey. Ronald Koeman’s team will face Sevilla in the semi- finals over two legs, the first tomorrow with kick- off 9pm. On Thursday, Spanish Super Cup winners Athletic Bilbao will take on Levante.

THE oft- postponed Edo 2020 National Sports Festival suffered another blow yesterday when the Federal Government announced that it will no longer hold on February 14 as agreed by stakeholders in December.

Rather, the 20th edition of the NSF will now hold in April as a result of the second wave of COVID- 19.

The festival, which was originally billed to hold in March last year, was first postponed to January this year and later February following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus and the country’s battle to curtail its spread.

However, with just a few days to the February 14 date, Sports Minister, Sunday Dare announced yesterday that it was no longer feasible to hold the competition as planned.

Speaking during a media briefing after a stakeholders’ virtual meeting yesterday, Dare said government was forced to postpone the festival again “because of developments beyond our control.”

He added: “We are mindful of the second wave and its virulence and because we have insisted that we must be properly guided. All along we have worked very closely with the PTF, the NCDC and made several trips to Edo State to check their preparedness. “Even though Edo State is prepared, with all its sporting infrastructure, as well as the COVID- 19 infrastructure in place, we are mindful of the second wave and of course the issue of the cost implication of the postponement. So, it has been decided that the festival will still hold but no longer in February.

“We have chosen a futuristic date in April. The festival is Nigeria’s Olympics and it is very important. And holding such a festival, where some athletes will be picked for the Olympics is very important. It is also important because over 14,000 of those involved are the youths and young people. Some of them for over one year have been inactive and we think holding this festival will keep our youths busy.”