Mark Lawrenson predicts Everton v Crystal Palace clash
Everton host Crystal Palace at Goodison Park on Monday night as they look to bounce back following three successive defeats in all competitions.
Prior to the international break Everton were eliminated from the FA Cup by Manchester City, losing to Burnley and Chelsea in the Premier League before that.
Everton had built up a small run of form before losing to Chelsea and Carlo Ancelotti will want his side to get back to winning ways against the Eagles.
In his weekly Premier League predictions for BBC Sport, Mark Lawrenson claimed that Palace wouldn’t offer enough to give Everton a real challenge.
He said: “Everton’s struggles at home are well documented, but I fancy the Toffees to bounce back here after three straight defeats.
“I don’t see Crystal Palace pushing them.
“The big issue for the Eagles now is whether Roy Hodgson will stay on for another season, but at least no-one is talking about them getting relegated.”
The BBC pundit has backed Everton to claim a home victory of 2-0 over the south London club.
Can’t be complacent
Crystal Palace have proven to be tricky customers in the past, but Everton should absolutely believe that they can get a result against the Eagles.
Before Everton’s recent run of rotten form, Carlo Ancelotti had his side playing much better football than we’ve seen at Goodison Park in some while, while his defensive unit had become much more resolute.
Palace have struggled to cause so much damage in attack this season and have often been left somewhat toothless unless Wilfried Zaha is performing well, which as of the last few games hasn’t been the case.
That doesn’t mean the Eagles will be easy to conquer though with Everton still needing to remain focused on the task of hand, while European qualification should remain at the forefront of the players’ minds.
Everton face ten ‘cup finals’ between now and the end of the season, and it will be up to Ancelotti to ensure his side give themselves the best chance possible at reaching the Europa League at the very least.
In other Everton news, two players have failed fitness tests while away on international duty.
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