Paul Merson makes crazy Jean-Philippe Mateta claim in Everton vs Crystal Palace prediction
Everton face a tough task when they host Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon.
Everton will try to end Palace’s 19-match unbeaten run in all competitions when the sides meet at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
The 5 October clash is a chance for Everton to correct their poor recent run of form, but that will not be an easy ask.
Everton will be without Jarrad Branthwaite, Merlin Rohl and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall for the contest against the Eagles.
Paul Merson believes Everton would be top six with Jean-Philippe Mateta
Beto and Thierno Barry are struggling to lead Everton’s line, and that issue has not gone unnoticed among the media, ahead of the clash.
Paul Merson thinks that the Blues would be in the top six or seven teams in the Premier League if they had Jean-Philippe Mateta in front instead, as he predicted a 1-1 draw between the sides.
Speaking in his weekly predictions article for Sportskeeda on 3 October, he said: “If Mateta played for Everton, I think they would have been a top-six, or top-seven team in the Premier League.
“Even if Beto and Thierno Barry were rolled into one, it still wouldn’t be better than Mateta.
“That is the problem for Everton, they need a good centre-forward.”
Mateta will be a problem for the Blues’ defence, as shown by the Sofascore graphic above.
Everton need to find a way to stop Mateta
If the Toffees are to get back to winning ways, they need to find a way to stop Mateta, as he is one of the most dangerous strikers in the division.
The French striker has two goals in six matches in the top-flight this season, after notching a stunning 14 and 16 goals in the previous two seasons.
However, Palace boast a much better team than the Blues during that time, so it is not realistic to compare his goal output to the options that Moyes has at his disposal, who are underperforming right now.
They may well thrive in a better team, like the one that Mateta has around him, so the comparison makes little sense.
Moyes will know that his side needs to find a way to stop the 28-year-old when they face off against him, and he probably would love to have him in his side, if he could have.
However, to say that the Blues would be top-six or seven with him in the line-up is just ludicrous, at the moment, considering the difference in circumstances between the teams.
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