Having clung onto Wilfried Zaha after several pursuits from Everton this summer, Crystal Palace now face the Toffees in their opening Premier League game of the new season.
Team news
Embed from Getty ImagesJames Tomkins is one of two Crystal Palace absentees as he continues his recovery from a groin injury picked up towards the end of last season.
Wilfried Zaha is also set to miss this match after seeing a transfer request to move to Everton declined in midweek, and was sent home early from training on Thursday due to not being in the right mental space to train.
Toffees’ Marco Silva will be without summer signing, Fabian Delph due to a thigh injury whilst fellow left-back, Leighton Baines is doubtful.
Jean-Phillipe Gbamin, Moise Kean and Alex Iwobi however could make their Everton debuts here.
Form
Palace enter this match off the back of five defeats from eight pre-season friendlies, and netted in just four fixtures with Christian Benteke and Connor Wickham joint top scorers with two goals each.
Everton went unbeaten in five of their seven pre-season friendlies but recorded just one victory and netted on just three occasions, whilst three of their four draws were goalless.
Stat Attack
- Crystal Palace are winless in their last nine against Everton (D5, L4).
- Three of their last four meetings at Selhurst Park have finished in draws, whilst Everton ran out 1-0 winners in January 2017 after Seamus Coleman’s 87th minute winner.
- One Everton defender has scored on each of the Toffees’ last two visits to Selhurst Park.
- Palace haven’t drawn any of their last five opening weekend fixtures (W2, L3), although have lost their two home games in that time.
- Everton are unbeaten in their last five opening weekend fixtures but have taken just one win during that period, which came at home to Stoke in 2017 (W1, D4).
Prediction
Both teams haven’t had the best of pre-seasons but Palace haven’t really added much quality in pre-season other than Cahill and McCarthy, who could face his former side here.
Everton however do need time to gel as a team after a summer of big spending so a draw wouldn’t be a surprise but I have a feeling that Silva’s men could be the surprise package this season and start with a late winner.
Prediction: Crystal Palace 0-1 Everton
Result: Crystal Palace 0-0 Everton