Everton vs Crystal Palace
Premier League
Monday
19th February 2024
Goodison Park
The most comprehensive preview, detailed analysis and reliable predictions of the Premier League fixture between Everton and Crystal Palace.
Everton vs Crystal Palace: Preview
Everton form analysis
Everton’s recent results highlight their struggles and inconsistency under Sean Dyche so far. After a 3-0 thrashing away at Wolves, Dyche oversaw an uninspiring 0-0 home draw against Aston Villa in his first game in charge. A gritty defensive display followed as Everton held Fulham to another goalless draw away from home, suggesting early signs of defensive improvement. However, those gains were undone in their next match as Everton drew a wild 2-2 home thriller against Tottenham, twice falling behind before Branthwaite grabbed a late equaliser.
Most recently, Dyche’s honeymoon period ended abruptly with a 2-0 defeat away to champions Manchester City, unable to contain Haaland who netted twice. Overall, Everton have shown spirit and defensive organisation under Dyche but lack attacking threat, scoring just twice in five games. The results highlight an imbalance in the squad, with steel in defence but little creativity going forward. Dyche needs to find a way of getting more from attacking players like Onyekuru and Harrison while maintaining defensive solidarity. Greater goal threat coupled with trademark defensive resilience will be crucial if Everton are to climb away from trouble in the coming weeks.
Crystal Palace form analysis
Crystal Palace’s recent results highlight their inconsistency and struggles against the Premier League’s top sides. After beating Brentford 3-1, Palace were hammered 5-0 away at league leaders Arsenal, ripped apart by the Gunners’ attacking flair. Patrick Vieira’s side responded well by coming from behind to beat Sheffield United 3-2, showing character after conceding an early goal. However, any momentum was lost as Palace were convincingly beaten 4-1 at home by Brighton in their next match. Despite taking the lead through Lerma, Palace conceded four second half goals to slip to a heavy defeat. Most recently, Roy Hodgson’s men succumbed to another loss, going down 3-1 at home to Chelsea.
Overall, while Palace have shown they can compete against teams around them, they have struggled badly in games against the league’s elite sides. Vieira will be looking for greater resilience and intelligence in these matches – Palace’s attacking talents can trouble any team, but only if they are solid defensively. Finding the right balance will be key if Palace are to turn around their poor record against the league’s best teams in the coming weeks.
