Crystal Palace vs Everton

February 19, 2024

Everton host Crystal Palace at Goodison Park in the Premier League on Monday night.

The Toffees are unbeaten in their last nine home matches against Crystal Palace in all competitions (winning six) and they will be eager to extend their fine form against the South London outfit. Moreover, all of those six wins have come in their last seven meetings at Goodison Park.

With that said, Crystal Palace are bidding to claim their first win at Goodison Park since a 3-2 victory in September 2014.

All in all, Everton are also unbeaten in their last seven matches against Crystal Palace in all competitions (4-3-0), with Crystal Palace last claiming a 4-0 FA Cup victory at Selhurst Park in March 2022.

The two sides have met three times already this campaign, with Sean Dyche's side edging a five-goal thriller - 3-2 victory at Selhurst Park on 11 November - before knocking Palace out of the FA Cup in a tight replay at Goodison Park in January.

Everton Betting Preview (-143 at Everygame)

Sean Dyche's side currently embark on a seven-game winless run in the Premier League, whilst their only victory in 11 in all competitions came against Monday's opponents in the FA Cup third round last month.

The Toffees will desperately need to turn their season around and this must happen as soon as possible. Everton are set to move into their new stadium on Bramley Dock in the next few years, and the realistic prospect of doing so having lost their Premier League status is one which carries serious ramifications, both sporting and financial.

The Merseyside Blues looked destined for a first spell in the second tier since 1954, and only a resurgence in form - in no small part down to the fantastic atmosphere at Goodison Park - has seen them climb out of the danger zone for a while.

However, that upturn in form has slowed since the four consecutive wins in December, and just three points from a possible 21 (0-3-4 record) have seen Sean Dyche's men sucked back into trouble, with the potential of further sanctions from the Premier League to be considered as well.

In a significant boost for Sean Dyche's game plan, Abdoulaye Doucoure returned to full training earlier this week. Despite missing ten of their last 11 games, the Malian midfielder remains Everton's top Premier League scorer with six goals, one of which came in the 3-1 victory at Selhurst Park in November.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin should lead the line for Everton despite his poor form over the past months. The 26-year-old attacker is yet to score since he bagged the winner for Everton's 1-0 victory at West Ham United in late-October, which makes a run of 18 appearances.

As for the home side, Andre Gomes (calf), Dele Alli (groin) and Arnaut Danjuma (ankle) are still undergoing their individual rehabilitation programmes and will not be in contention for Monday night's clash.

Crystal Palace Betting Preview (+425 at Everygame)

The South London outfit are set to part ways with current boss Roy Hodgson as talks over a new manager began just days after the latest 3-1 home loss to Chelsea. The result leaves Palace 16^th in the top-flight, just five points above the relegation zone and their current opponents.

Crystal Palace sacked Patrick Vieira last March after a string of poor results. Hodgson did a wonderful job at the closing stage of last season as he seamlessly guided The Eagles to Premier League safety after they were being dragged into the relegation fight under Vieira.

Roy Hodgson's side also enjoyed a strong start to the new campaign but they have been in terrible form over the past couple of months. The Eagles have won just one of their last six matches across all competitions and have lost their last four away matches - since an impressive 2-2 draw at Manchester City in mid-December.

Yet, Palace are winless in seven away games (0-2-5) since a 2-0 victory at Burnley in November. They head into Monday night’s massive relegation six-pointers just five points clear of Everton, who currently occupy 18^th place in the Premier League.

Meanwhile, Oliver Glasner is set to be confirmed as the next Crystal Palace manager after terms have been broadly agreed on a deal, according to domestic reports. However, the decision could take a while as the 76-year-old Hodgson was taken to hospital after collapsing during a training session on Thursday morning.

The 49-year-old Austrian has been staying at a hotel in Greenwich and was spotted at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday, where he watched Spurs lose 2-1 to Wolverhampton Wanderers as Palace head to face Ange Postecoglou’s side on March 2.

Palace travel to face Everton in a battle at the bottom of the Premier League on Monday evening, with local media understanding Roy Hodgson is keen on being involved in some capacity in what could be his final game for the South Londoners. Still, the club would want to be assured he is in stable condition and well enough to be at Goodison Park.

Glasner, on the other hand, has been out of work since leaving Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt at the end of last season. He guided The Eagles to the Europa League trophy in 2022 but he left the club shortly after their defeat to RB Leipzig in next year's DFB-Pokal final.

Crystal Palace remain without a number of first-team players, with the key quartet of Marc Guehi, Cheick Doucoure, Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze all injured.

Will Hughes also picked up an ankle injury in the second half of the defeat to Chelsea and remains a doubt for the trip to Merseyside.

Jeffrey Schlupp and Naouirou Ahamada will fight for the right to deputize for Hughes should the midfielder be not ready to feature, and with both Eze and Olise on the sidelines, a second consecutive league start should come Matheus Franca's way.

Winter signing Adam Wharton made his first start for Crystal Palace against Chelsea last weekend and the 20-year-old should keep his place in the middle of the park.

Possible Starting Lineups of Everton and Crystal Palace

Everton: Jordan Pickford - Nathan Patterson, James Tarkowski, Jarrad Branthwaite, Vitalii Mykolenko - Jack Harrison, Amadou Onana, Idrissa Gueye, Dwight McNeil - James Garner - Dominic Calvert-Lewin. (4-4-1-1)

Crystal Palace: Dean Henderson - Daniel Munoz, Joachim Andersen, Chris Richards, Tyrick Mitchell - Naouirou Ahamada, Jefferson Lerma, Adam Wharton - Jordan Ayew, Jean-Philippe Mateta, Matheus Franca. (4-3-3)

Spooky Express Betting Prediction

Under different circumstances, we would've backed Everton to win but the situation around Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson requires all the motivation his players can get. There is no room for sentiments on the pitch, though, just business.

Given the importance of this relegation 'six pointer', Everton are favorites for a reason. Yet, Crystal Palace's key absentees and propensity for leaky defensive displays in recent weeks (they have conceded 14 goals in their last four league games) simply cannot be ignored.

If the game ends in a draw, Everton could draw three consecutive home Premier League matches for the first time since a run of four between January and February 2015.

Spooky Express Free Play: Both teams to score - Yes +105 at Everygame for 5/10 Units

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