Everton will host Crystal Palace at Goodison Park on Saturday, desperate to pick up their first of the 2024/25 Premier League season.
Everton are yet to pick up a single victory in the Premier League, and the Toffees are under pressure to turn things around as they get set to welcome Crystal Palace to Goodison Park. Victory here could give Sean Dyche some much-needed respite amid the Merseyside club’s links with many managers, including Maurizio Sarri.
Meanwhile, the Eagles are in disappointing form as well and they are yet to win a single game in the league. It will be interesting to see if they can take advantage of Everton’s vulnerabilities and grind out all three points on their travels. They will look to pile further misery on Everton, but the Toffees have an excellent home record against Crystal Palace.
It will be interesting to see who comes out on top here. The home fans will expect a strong reaction from the Everton players and Crystal Palace have the quality to grind out a victory here as well.
Team News and Tactics
Everton
Everton will be without Armando Broja who misses out with a calf injury, Nathan Patterson is out with a thigh issue, Jarrad Branthwaite is unavailable due to a groin injury, Youssef Chermiti has an ankle issue, and Seamus Coleman has a calf injury.
Everton will shape up in a 4-4-1-1 formation, with Jordan Pickford in goal. Mason Holgate and Vitaliy Mykolenko will start as the full-backs. They will look to keep things compact at the back and help out on the break. James Tarkowski will start in the central defensive unit alongside Michael Keane.
Jack Harrison and Dwight McNeil will start in the wide areas. They will look to add pace and flair from the flanks.
James Garner and Idrissa Gueye will start in central midfield, and they will look to add defensive cover to the side. Abdoulaye Doucoure will start as a central attacking midfielder, with Beto leading the line for Everton.
Probable Lineup (4-4-1-1): Pickford; Holgate, Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko; Harrison, Garner, Gueye, McNeil; Doucoure; Beto
Crystal Palace
The Eagles will be without Chadi Riad with a knee injury, Chris Richards due to a thigh injury, Cheick Doucoure due to an ankle injury, Matheus Franca because of an abdominal injury and Rob Holding because of a knock.
Dean Henderson will start in goal for the Palace here. In the back three, Chalobah will start alongside Maxence Lacroix and Marc Guehi. Daniel Munoz and Tyrick Mitchell will be deployed as the wing-backs. They will look to help out at both ends of the pitch.
Adam Wharton and Daichi Kamada will add defensive cover and creativity to the side in the middle of the park. Eberechi Eze will add technical ability, creativity and goals to the side in the final third. Jean-Philippe Mateta will lead the line for the Eagles alongside Eddie Nketiah.
Probable Lineup (3-4-1-2): Henderson; Richards, Lerma, Guehi; Munoz, Wharton, Kamada, Mitchell; Eze; Mateta, Nketiah
Key Stats
- Crystal Palace have drawn their last 3 matches (Premier League).
- Everton are undefeated in their last 10 home matches against Crystal Palace in all competitions.
- Everton have seen under 2.5 goals in their last 3 matches against Crystal Palace in all competitions.
- 11 goals have been scored in the last six meetings between these two sides.
- Everton have conceded 14 goals in five league matches this season.
Player to Watch
Eberechi Eze
The Crystal Palace attacking midfielder is our key player to watch out for. He will look to make his mark in the final third with his passing, vision, and link-up play. He will look to carve open the Everton defence and create opportunities for his teammates. It remains to be seen whether he can make a defining impact in the final third. Crystal Palace will need him to step up and deliver if they want to win here.
Prediction
Everton 1-1 Crystal Palace
Everton have done quite well against Crystal Palace at home and they will be desperate to avoid a defeat. They will look to battle hard for the three points, but the two teams are quite evenly matched on current form and it will be hard to separate them. The two sides are likely to cancel each other out and share the spoils here.