Prediction: Everton vs Crystal Palace

Prediction: Everton win

Best Odds: 8/13

Bookmaker: bet365

While the winter break may be in full swing with teams up and down the Premier League taking some much needed time off, that doesn’t mean we won’t have any games to enjoy across the weekend. One of the few PL encounters that’ll be taking place will go down at Goodison Park as Everton prepare to host Crystal Palace. With just three points separating them in the table, neither side is completely out of the woods just yet when it comes to the relegation battle.

Everton

Carlo Ancelotti is working hard to put the right pieces in place on Merseyside, but it’s going to take him one or two more transfer windows in order to do it. They’re on a nice little unbeaten run right now and while they’ve still got a long way to go before they can start looking ahead of them instead of behind, they only have to focus on the Premier League now which could prove to be a big positive for them. If they can string a few wins together, a finish in the top eight – if not six – could be on the cards.

Team News

Gbamin is out through injury whereas Delph will be serving a one-match ban after being sent off against Watford. Elsewhere, Gomes is unlikely to be fit enough to start despite stepping up his recovery efforts.

Crystal Palace

While Palace fans know that they’ve had a tricky schedule as of late, Roy Hodgson will be well aware of how hard it is to pull yourself out of a funk in this league. They seem to have lost that edge which made them so hard to play against prior to this bad run of form, and they’ll have to come flying out of the blocks if they want to cause Everton any kind of sustained issues this weekend.

Team News

Tosun, Sakho and Schlupp are the three names out injured for this one with Kouyate being tipped to come into the starting XI.

Factors to Consider

• The last two meetings between these two clubs have ended 0-0.
• Everton have won two, drawn two and lost two of their last six games.
• Crystal Palace have drawn three and lost three of their last six games.
• Everton have scored eight goals and conceded eight in their last six games.
• Crystal Palace have scored four goals and conceded eight in their last six games.

Conclusion

Dictating the pace of the game in the middle of the park is going to be what Everton will try and focus on here, and if they’re able to stop Palace on the counter, we can see this being a fairly easy game for them. The two sides seem to be trending in very different directions right now with the Eagles struggling to really piece anything together both on and off the pitch. We’re backing Everton to come away with the three points, and we don’t think it’s going to be close.

Prediction: Everton win

Best Odds: 8/13

Bookmaker: bet365