Chris Sutton predicts result of Everton FA Cup showdown v Crystal Palace for BBC Sport
Chris Sutton has predicted that Everton will extend their winless run in all competitions to five matches when they face Crystal Palace in the FA Cup third round on Thursday 5 January.
The BBC Sport pundit believes that the Toffees will be held at Selhurst Park and taken to a replay back at Goodison Park, suggesting there will be little between the sides, tipping Everton to advance into the fourth round on penalties after drawing 1-1 in this first clash.
Crystal Palace come into Thursday’s clash off the back of an impressive 3-1 win over Brentford in the Premier League, but Sutton believes that Sean Dyche will put out a stronger side and book the Toffees’ place in the fourth round.
Writing in his BBC Sport FA Cup third-round predictions (3 January) he said: “Everton edged a thriller 3-2 when they went to Selhurst Park in November and I think their tie with Crystal Palace will be just as close.
“I think Toffees boss Sean Dyche will put out a strong team after three straight defeats and it is a blow for Palace that Michael Olise is out of this game.”
Going to be close
If Chris Sutton’s prediction is accurate, Everton are going to have plenty more football to play over the next month. The Toffees have repeatedly said that they want to play as much football as possible this season, but they may not be keen on a replay.
Dyche’s side is already stretched incredibly thin and the Everton boss won’t want to lose any more players to injury as a result of unnecessary fixtures. The Toffees have to try to win this tie in the initial 90 minutes to avoid a replay back on Merseyside.
The Toffees have shown that they are able to beat Palace already this season and if they attack with the same ruthlessness that they did during the Premier League clash, they’ll have too much for the Eagles once again.
A return to winning ways would be brilliant for the morale of Dyche’s team as well after a difficult few weeks. A win would be a real morale boost as the Toffees prepare for an incredibly testing second half of the season.
In other Everton news, one local journalist has urged the Toffees to complete a “no-brainer” move for Jesse Lingard