Everton: Paul Merson predicts result of ‘killer’ Premier League showdown v Crystal Palace
Everton will pick up their first Premier League win since December when they face Crystal Palace on Monday 19 February, according to Paul Merson.
The Sky Sports pundit believes that Sean Dyche’s side will be able to bounce back from their defeat to Manchester City when they welcome the Eagles to Goodison Park, predicting that the Toffees will claim three points with a 2-0 win.
Palace are likely to have a new face in the dugout with Oliver Glasner reportedly set to replace Roy Hodgson [Florian Plettenberg, 15 February] and Merson believes that Monday’s trip to Goodison Park will have come at the wrong time for the new manager.
Writing for Sportskeeda on Thursday (15 February) he said: “Everton are on a bit of a slippery slope at the moment, but Palace are a beatable side when they play without Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise, so I expect the home side to get three crucial points in this one.
“With all the uncertainty about their managerial situation, I don’t think this game is coming at the right time for Palace. They are also without two key players in Olise and Eze and have shown this season that they lack the killer instinct without the pair, so I only see this game going one way.”
Sean Dyche to ease Everton relegation fears against Crystal Palace
While Everton came away from the Etihad Stadium empty-handed last time out, there was plenty in the Toffees’ performance to encourage supporters as they once again looked defensively resolute and effective on the counter.
If they play like that against Palace, they should be able to claim all three points, especially given the Eagle’s recent indifferent form in the Premier League. No matter who is in the away dugout, this current group is low on confidence.
By playing on Monday, Dyche’s side will also have the advantage of knowing what they need to climb out of the bottom three. If Luton Town lose to Manchester United and Nottingham Forest struggle against West Ham, they could well move up to 16th.
Hopefully, Everton will be able to claim all three points on Monday night and ease the relegation fears on the blue half of Merseyside ever so slightly.
In other Everton news, Phil Jagielka has been left baffled by the lack of punishment handed to Manchester City for their FFP breaches
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