Although believing the competition offers an opportunity for his side, Jol is wary of Everton's strength at home despite a below-par season thus far.

"It was a difficult draw, but if you want to do something in the competition you have to go to play difficult games at difficult places," Jol said.

"And being out of the Europa League and Carling Cup, it would be fantastic to progress to the next round.

"I feel that even for the big clubs that play in all the tournaments, the FA Cup is a beautiful competition to win, so regardless of your league position, the FA Cup is a great opportunity to do something."

The Cottagers' record at Goodison Park in the league is awful, having never picked up three points at Everton, a stat which gives Jol cause for concern ahead of Friday's match.

"Although Everton are missing quite a few players, they have achieved some decent results in different ways. They’ve changed their system as well," he said.

"Of course, if you play at Everton it’s always a difficult game because they play to win. They have a system with offensive midfield players, and they play with a lot of crosses - very English ingredients - but we are well prepared.

"In the league maybe we haven't had the best results at Goodison Park, but hopefully we will change that tomorrow."

Jol and his team travel to Everton on the heels of a resounding 5-2 victory against Newcastle United in the Premier League last weekend and will face West Brom at home on Wednesday in a return to Premier League action.