Crystal Palace to welcome back two midfielders for clash vs Everton
Everton have been handed a small blow after Crystal Palace confirmed they expect to welcome back a midfield duo to their squad for the FA Cup game this weekend.
The Toffees head to Selhurst Park to try and seal a place in the FA Cup semi-final next month, following on from their dramatic 99th minute win against Newcastle on Thursday.
But they’ll be coming up against a Palace side who will be welcoming back both captain Luka Milivojevic and fellow midfielder Will Hughes, after they missed the draw with Manchester City.
That means the Eagles will only be without James McArthur, after Nathan Ferguson returned following a hamstring injury to be on the bench against City.
A full strength Palace is a very good side, so Everton will need to be at their best to seal a trip to Wembley in what has been a torrid season so far.
More than a cup game
This is much more than a cup game for Everton, with the result so important towards their hopes for survival this season too.
The Toffees currently sit three points above the relegation zone after their midweek win and they face a run of fixtures including five of the top six over their next six games in the division.
So while the win against Newcastle was excellent, it’s far from a job done at this point for Frank Lampard’s side and they need to maintain that momentum now through the international break.
Lampard will now have an extended period of time to work with his squad and get his ideas implemented more ahead of that run of games, but it will be much easier to do off back-to-back wins.
Another defeat not only ends hopes of a day trip to Wembley for fans, but dims the mood through a period of no games and could make it tough to turn it around again once action resumes next month.
In other Everton news, Everton without first-team ace for FA Cup clash v Crystal Palace in latest fitness update