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Wanderers will have to surpass their FA Cup performance at Luton Town if they are to stand a chance of reaching the fourth round tonight, says Ian Evatt.
The Whites fought out a valiant goalless draw at Kenilworth Road on January 7 to bring the Premier League side back to the Toughsheet for a replay.
Though post-match headlines were dominated by a penalty appeal for the home side which was turned down by VAR, Evatt felt his side was fully deserving of a second opportunity.
Luton had to shelve plans for a warm weather training camp in Dubai and move a game at Burnley to last Friday night to make space for the replay – which will be played in wintry temperatures after overnight snow.
And the Bolton boss believes his team will need to find an extra gear if they are to book a place in the next round to face either Crystal Palace or Everton.
“I think we played well in the first game,” he said. “It was relatively even. They put us under pressure in that second half territorially without ever creating anything clear-cut. We had the better moments in the first half and then again in the last 10 minutes as well.
“We deserved the draw on the day, which was a fantastic achievement given what that team is doing right now. To be able to get through I think we will need to better that performance. Do I think we can? Absolutely.
“We have to go out there and do it now. For us it is about going about our business at home the way we have done this season.”
Evatt watched Luton snatch a late draw at Burnley last Friday thanks to a controversial late goal from Carlton Morris.
Former Bolton keeper James Trafford claimed he had been fouled by Elijiah Adebayo in the 96th minute before Morris put the ball into the unguarded net but a lengthy VAR check decided it had been a “coming together” and allowed the goal to stand.
Luton are unlikely to change their approach, says Evatt, who added that he was pleased that Var would not be taking up any headlines as it was not in operation tonight.
“That is what is really key about this match-up, both teams play very similarly home and away,” he said.
“I witnessed Luton’s performance on Friday at Burnley, which was very similar to the one when we played them at Kenilworth Road.
“Generally, I think they will go about things the same way. There may be a few tactical tweaks here and there but the actual ideology will be the same and it’ll be who executes best on the night.
“There are no secrets. I think we deserved the draw, I still stand by that.
“We know that to win we’ll have to better that performance. We are capable.”
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