EVERTON V CRYSTAL PALACE
KICK OFF: SATURDAY 21st Oct 2018 | 17:00 CET
PREMIER LEAGUE Matchday 9 | Goodison park
Slumbering Palace attack will make Everton’s defence look good on Merseyside
Palace fans may already be thinking about long trips up north to the likes of Bolton and Rotherham next season as not even Wilfried Zaha looks as if he can save Hodgson’s sinking ship. The Eagles may be fodder at Goodison Park. Roy Hodgson took much credit for keeping Palace safe last season. Frankly, it wasn’t him though, it was, undeniably, Wilfried Zaha who did it. The proof is there. They didn’t earn a single point last season in 10 games without Wilf. They scored four goals in those ten games.
Goals have been scarce for Zaha (two in seven) this season and where are Palace without them? Tanking towards the drop zone after a 1-0 home loss against the newly-promoted Wolves on the weekend. After the last international break, Crystal Palace did come out and post a win over Huddersfield for their second win of the season.
This time after the international break, they make a trip to Everton, but their third win of the term honestly doesn’t look to be coming anytime soon. The Eagles face Everton, Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs and Manchester United in a run of games that could rapidly sink them to the bottom come the start of December. Only relegation-candidates Cardiff and Huddersfield have scored fewer goals than Palace’s paltry return of five in the top flight. So the Eagles are likely to make even Everton’s defence, which has in general, been as watertight as a mesh umbrella (one clean sheet only this season), look good regardless.
Keep Zaha quiet as Wolves managed to do last weekend and Everton should comfortably get three points. Even though Everton are crying out for a world-class number nine, there’s still enough in their attack through the likes of Gylfi Sigurdsson (three goals in his last two games) and Richarlison to punish the Eagles who have averaged 2.25 goals against away from home.
Palace are misfiring badly at the moment, so Everton to win to nil looks a very reasonable proposition.
Match Facts
- Everton have lost only once in their last seven league home games
- Palace have produced just three goals in their previous five games
- The Toffees are undefeated in seven league games against Palace (W3 D4)
Top Tips
Result Prediction: Everton win
Score Prediction: Gylfi Sigurdsson to score anytime
