Crystal Palace vs Everton

Selhurst Park forms the backdrop for a bottom-half Premier League six-pointer between Crystal Palace and Everton.

Crystal Palace netted on either side of halftime en route to beating promoted Burnley 2-0 on the road last weekend and halting a three-match winless run in the Premier League (D1, L2). Roy Hodgson’s men begin this round in familiar territory as an evenly-balanced 11-game start in the Premier League (W4, D3, L4) puts them in mid-table, nine points clear of the drop zone. However, the ‘Eagles’ have stuttered on home turf this season, managing just one in five league outings at Selhurst Park (D2, L2), in large part thanks to their dismal attacking output. Indeed, they’ve drawn a blank in three of those five matches, while they’ve also yet to score before halftime in home league action. That’s a potentially ominous fact, considering they’ve failed to find the net in three of their last five top-flight H2Hs at home.

Meanwhile, visiting Everton thought they were on the verge of winning three consecutive games across all competitions for the first time this season before Ashley Young’s unfortunate own goal held them to a 1-1 home draw against Brighton last weekend. A lack of consistency continues to frustrate manager Sean Dyche, as his team had alternated between winning (3) and losing (3) in six Premier League games before sharing the spoils with Brighton. But the ex-Burnley boss can’t complain about Everton’s form on the road, with the ‘Toffees’ going unbeaten on five of their last six domestic travels (W4, D1). It’s perhaps even more impressive that they’ve netted 2+ goals four times during that sequence.