HomeEPL - TeamsCrystal PalaceEverton v Crystal Palace Preview | Team News, Key Men & Stats

Everton v Crystal Palace Preview | Team News, Key Men & Stats

Fresh off the back of their emphatic 4-1 victory over Wolfsburg in the Europa League on Thursday night, Everton will return to Premier League action by welcoming Crystal Palace to Goodison Park on Sunday afternoon.

Fatigue is usually an issue for clubs playing in the Europa League but Everton can count themselves lucky that they played at home and so any tiredness leading up to the game against Palace may be a minor worry. The Toffees currently have the second best goal scoring record in the league but they have also equalled a record for conceding 10 goals in their first four games, and Roberto Martinez will be hoping for less defensive mistakes this weekend.

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Neil Warnock is taking charge of his third game as Crystal Palace manager and will surely be hoping for his first win after picking up successive draws in his first two games. Playing away to Everton is no easy task but his team will be boosted by the fact they were able to pick up a 3-2 win at Goodison last season.

It promises to be an interesting game for the neutrals.

Team News

Seamus Coleman has a knock but may still be able to return to action time for the game against Crystal Palace. Sylvain Distin is in a similar situation. Steven Pienaar, Ross Barkley, Bryan Oviedo and Arouna Kone are all out for the foreseeable future.

Joe Ledley could return for Crystal Palace this weekend while Marouane Chamakh faces a late fitness test.

Interesting Statistics

  • Everton have conceded 10 goals in four games, equalling a league record.
  • They are also the second highest goal scorers as things currently stand.
  • Everton have conceded 58 fouls in the league so far this season, the most in the league.
  • Jason Puncheon has scored in both games he has played at Goodison in the Premier League.
  • Crystal Palace have the worst passing accuracy of any team in the Premier League so far.

Key Players

Naismith statsEverton – Steven Naismith

Naismith has played really well for Everton so far and it is no surprise that this has coincided with him playing in a central role. He’s played in all four league games so far for his club and has scored three goals in the process. According to Squawka.com he has attempted seven shots at goal, three of which have been on target. This means he has been accurate with 43% of his shots so far in the league. He has created four chances for his team mates which seems quite low but this probably reflects the fact that he has been something of a focal point for Everton’s attack. He has also managed to average a 74% passing accuracy and has won 57% of his duels. If he plays well then it is a pretty good bet that Everton will win.

Gayle statsCrystal Palace – Dwight Gayle

Gayle looked good for Crystal Palace last season and has looked like is capable of capturing that form again this season, despite only scoring one goal in his four appearances. According to Squawka.com he has managed a 67% shooting accuracy, although from only three shots at goal so far. Likewise, and similarly to Naismith, he has only created two chances for his team mates. However, he has managed to achieve a 76% passing accuracy with 31 of his 41 passes reaching their intended targets. He has been nowhere near as successful as his Everton counterpart in duels, succeeding in just 32% of these battles. He has the potential to upset Everton’s defenders on Sunday and they will need to mark him carefully.

Betting Prediction

We all know what Romelu Lukaku is capable of doing and if you reckon he will score against Crystal Palace on Sunday, then you can get odds of 2.05 with Tailorbet at http://goo.gl/QvJjeL

Prediction

Crystal Palace are still finding their feet under Neil Warnock and while they managed to beat Everton at Goodison last season, I firmly believe Everton will be too much for them on Sunday and ultimately win the game 2-0.

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