Everton and Crystal Palace will meet each other in turbulent form as they aim to find a way to climb the Premier League table.
In the aftermath of the ten-point deduction, Sean Dyche appeared to have galvanised his side and started getting results. However, since a brief period of renaissance, Everton are back to performing badly and are now settled in a relegation battle, of which Crystal Palace are also a part.
Last weekend’s 2-0 loss to Manchester City kept them in the 18th place, and they are now desperate to climb out of that rut. Incidentally, Everton are not considered outright favourites to go down unlike their relegation zone colleagues in Sheffield United and Burnley. However, a few more bad results could start the conversation about dropping down, something Dyche will hope does change in the coming period.
Their form has undoubtedly taken a considerable dip, with Everton not scoring in four of their last five Premier League outings. They are still only a point behind 17th-placed Luton Town, and Dyche will take the Monday evening clash as a precursor to start climbing out of their position on the table, as there is an opportunity to do so.
While Everton are languishing inside the relegation zone, Crystal Palace are inching closer to that red line with each passing week. The Eagles responded well to a 5-0 thumping by Arsenal with a much-needed win over Sheffield United. However, they have lost their subsequent two against Brighton & Hove Albion and Chelsea.
Palace have been out of their depth for some time now, with conflicting news coming out in the media about Roy Hodgson. For starters, multiple reports suggested Palace had sacked him, and then news of his hospitalisation broke, meaning the veteran manager will certainly not be in the dugout on Monday night.
Crystal Palace may want to show their fans to keep faith in them with a good performance, especially on the road against Everton, which could galvanise their chances of steering clear of the relegation zone. They will also have their experience playing the Toffees twice recently in the FA Cup round, and this time, they might want to register an all-important win to climb up in the standings.
Team News & Tactics
Everton
Sean Dyche will want to name a familiar lineup that had last gone on a good run at the end of last year, as he could have a few of his returning players in contention. Abdoulaye Doucoure was seen with the ball in training, which is a big boost for Everton against Crystal Palace, and the manager confirmed the midfielder could play a part.
Hence, Doucoure has a good chance of making it to the matchday squad, as a place in the starting lineup would be a stretch. Dyche also insisted Amadou Onana and Seamus Coleman are in contention, which certainly boosts Everton’s prospects.
Dele Alli, Arnaut Danjuma, and Andre Gomes are the confirmed absentees for the Toffees, while there are doubts over Ben Godfrey’s participation. The defender was a surprise starter against Manchester City but went off early in the second half through illness. Either way, the versatile defender might only make it to the bench, if at all.
James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite will assume their central defensive roles, with Vitaliy Mykolenko and Nathan Patterson primed to play as full-backs. Dyche will continue with Dominic Calvert-Lewin as the lone striker for Everton against Crystal Palace, with James Garner likely to play the role behind the forward.
Probable Lineup (4-4-1-1): Pickford; Patterson, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Harrison, Onana, Gueye, McNeil; Garner; Calvert-Lewin
Crystal Palace
With Roy Hodgson’s health the main concern on the club’s mind, there are many critical injuries for Crystal Palace to deal with ahead of this daunting trip to Merseyside. In recent games, the injury list has mounted as new players were added to some of the long-term absentees.
The long-term list includes Cheick Doucoure, Rob Holding, Michael Olise, and Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, who are all missing from action. The game at Merseyside will come too soon for Marc Guehi and Eberechi Eze, although Will Hughes could return fit for this trip.
The absence of Eze and Olise has hurt Palace in the attacking sense, as they need creators in the side, with the wingers and forwards forced to feed off scraps. Maybe the Eagles will try a different approach, with January arrival Adam Whaarton primed to play at the base of midfield.
Jordan Ayew might take up a more central role should Jean-Philippe Mateta move outwards, although Crystal Palace have the option of using Matheus Franca in the broad role alongside Jeffrey Schlupp against Everton.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Henderson; Munoz, Andersen, Richards, Mitchell; Hughes, Wharton, Lerma; Ayew, Mateta, Schlupp
Key Stats
- Everton have failed to score in four of their last five games in the Premier League.
- Everton have won six of their last seven home matches against Crystal Palace in all competitions.
- Over 2.5 goals have been scored in Crystal Palace’s last six games in the Premier League.
- Crystal Palace have conceded at least two goals in their last four matches in the Premier League.
- Crystal Palace have won only one of their last six games in all competitions.
Player to Watch
Dominic Calvert-Lewin
Calvert-Lewin was at the centre of Everton’s renaissance period earlier this season when they were churning out good results against the odds. However, he has seen a blip in form and much has been due to the lack of clear-cut opportunities presented in front of his feet.
Sean Dyche will want Calvert-Lewin to have a reasonable period from here on and will search for a game where he can kick-start that process. Against Crystal Palace, the English striker may have the right opportunity with the Eagles also in depleted form at the moment.
Prediction
Everton 1-0 Crystal Palace
These are two sides failing to create or score in the last few games, as one might expect a cagey match to begin with. Sean Dyche will undoubtedly have the advantage of home soil to back his effort to get something out of this clash, preferably three points.
Everton do have the defensive ranks to take control of the game and keep some of the blunt Crystal Palace attackers at bay. With Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise still absent, the chances of Palace hurting the Toffees are slim, as Dyche’s side could record a narrow win and put on a defensive showing in front of their home crowd to collect important three points.