Sports Blog 07/12/2015: Match Preview – Everton vs Crystal Palace, Monday 7th December 2015

With another topsy-turvy weekend of Premier League results been and gone, can Everton or Crystal Palace throw up any surprises when they meet at 8pm on Sky Sports 1 this Monday evening?

Both sides are still on the hunt for a much-coveted, and unusually competitive, place in Europe; equally, both sides would be higher if it weren’t for frustrating lapses of concentration that have led to unnecessary points dropped. For Everton it was a mixed-to-impressive November, with 6-2 and 4-0 wins over Sunderland and Aston Villa respectively joined by draws against West Ham and Bournemouth (the latter of which entailed a late-in-the-day capitulation by the Toffees). Yet they started December with aplomb, beating a tough Middlesbrough 2-0 to reach their first League Cup semi-final since 1987.

Monday gives Everton the chance to jump back into the top half of the table, a win taking the Toffees 5 places higher to 6th. If they are to do so then the wonderful, and wonderfully in form, Romelu Lukaku will have to continue to terrify the opposition; with 13 goals in 18 goals the young Belgian international is the league’s top scorer (with 10 goals) not playing for the still (!!!) top of the table Leicester, and goes into Monday night as both favourite to score first, at 7/2, and with the best Super Mega Player Goal Minutes spread, of 39-45.



Sitting in 8th a win for Crystal Palace would also see them jump to 6th, leapfrogging West Ham and Liverpool in the process, with potentially only 1 point between them and the 5th place Tottenham. Like Everton’s bizarre collapse against Bournemouth, Palace have been no stranger to those aforementioned (and costly) lapses in form, losing 1-0 to Sunderland just over a fortnight ago. Yet Palace quickly bounced back with a rampant 5-1 win over Newcastle in perhaps their best performance of the season, rivalling their away victories over Chelsea and Liverpool.

Where Palace may falter on Monday evening is their lack of a Lukaku. Despite being the same age as his Belgian counterpart, Connor Wickham has failed to make much of an impression since he arrived at Selhurst Park over the summer, still without a single goal at his new club. If Wickham, at a Super Mega PGM of 15-19, fails to open his account then Pardew will once again have to look to his other major summer signing, Yohan Cabaye. Despite only being on 4 goals this season the Frenchman, (alongside Yannick Bolasie at a Super Mega PGM of 10-14) has had an untold effect on the psyche of the club, his presence one of the main reasons why Palace are still in the running for a place in Europe.

There isn’t much to separate the two sides, with Everton’s stronger front line countered by a shoddier defensive record than Palace’s back four. Yet with Lukaku in such stellar form our Spreadex traders have given the home side the edge, offering an Everton/Crystal Palace Goal Supremacy spread of 0.35-0.55 with a Total Goals spread of 2.75-2.95.