Home / Football / Crystal Palace vs Everton – Premier League Match Preview
Everton

Crystal Palace vs Everton – Premier League Match Preview

It might not be a six pointer as such at Selhurst Park this afternoon but there is still a lot to play for this afternoon as both sides look for a result which will either rejuvenate Crystal Palace’s hopes for survival or in the case of Everton continue their momentum after a dramatic win before the international break.

Roy Hodgson’s setup was nearly rewarded at Wembley before the hiatus but Heung min-Son’s second half strike was the difference as Tottenham made sure there was to be no Real Madrid hangover in what was a slightly serene midday setting at England’s national stadium.

It could however have been very different had Wilfried Zaha managed to score from what has to be considered an open goal, truth be told it was harder for him to miss after the amount of space that Paolo Gazzaniga offered him but the heart in mouth moment for Spurs fans saw their organs return to a normal resting beat as the Ivorian fired the ball wide.

That meant that Palace went into the international break with plaudits but not the thing they truly wanted and more importantly need, that of course being results. It’s now six points to safety and although that does not sound a lot at this moment in time you do have to wonder when and not if the Eagles’ next barren run will take place.

Hoping to take full advantage of that are Everton who will come into this game full of confidence and perhaps almost wishing that the international break had not come around after their dramatic 3-2 over Watford on the same Super Sunday that Palace were dropping points across London.

At 2-0 down it looked once again like another miserable afternoon on Merseyside and more than likely David Unsworth‘s last game in the Goodison Park hotseat but what a difference a win can make as the Toffees managed to overturn their deficit in dramatic circumstances.

Leighton Baines’ late penalty would be the goal that saw Everton come out on top but that was not the end of the drama as former Evertonian Tom Cleverly missed a spotkick of his own in the 100th minute, there were no fingernails left for anyone in the ground in that point but there is a sense of belief once again.

The question that will need to be asked however is just how much belief do the Everton hierarchy have in David Unsworth especially after they saw an approach for Marco Silva turned down in the week. Couple that with a supposed approach for Sam Allardyce also and it does make you wonder what direction the club want to go in.

It may even be a question that Everton cannot answer right now and by default it means that Unsworth could be given the job until the end of the season, many view him as a safe pair of hands and this team too good to go down but that ultimately can only be backed up by results.

And it is today that they will look to add to their current points tally and put further daylight between themselves and the bottom three. Had they lost to Watford then the mindset would have been incredibly different but they will feel that they can win this game.

At the same time though Palace’s strengths do lie at home and Roy Hodgson prides himself on his home therefore they will be a tough nut to crack this afternoon. That said I think they will come unstuck against the Toffees. Both teams to score but Everton to pick up the win.

Here is what social media thinks will happen – you can still vote on the outcome

Leave a Reply

%d bloggers like this: