EPL Wagering Weekend Windup: Crystal Palace vs. Everton
With week 16 in the EPL coming to a close, we look at one more match in this week's edition of the EPL Weekend Windup. With last week's breathless victory over Arsenal, Everton and their supporters released a collective sigh of relief as they snatched their first win in over two months. The hot seat for manager Rafael Benitez had been steadily increasing in recent weeks as the Toffees have slipped down the table and inching towards the bottom quarter of the table. Everton tries to keep their momentum intact when they travel to London to face a tricky and resurgent Crystal Palace. A team that blanked the champions Manchester City in their own house a few weeks back 2-0, Palace is a lower-ranked club that packs a nasty punch. We look at this mid-table tilt but make sure you check FanDuel Sportsbook for all the latest EPL odds.
Crystal Palace vs. Everton Predictions & Picks
- Crystal Palace (+125)
- Under 2.5 Goals (-160)
After a closely contested 1-0 loss against Manchester United last week at Old Trafford, Crystal Palace (+125) manager Patrick Vieira was not pleased with his men. Saying the loss was more down to Palace weakness than United strength, Vieira has said that he expects a more concentrated effort at home when they welcome Everton (+240).
A team that has been on a terrible slide until last week, Everton has only one win in their previous ten matches, and they have gone from a top four member to a relegation outsider in the space of two months. Considering the paltry and league lowest spending of a minuscule two million pounds sterling, the blame for the rot should probably not rest on the manager's shoulders for Evertonian woe. Even minnows Watford have spent nearly ten times more than Everton has on bringing in new talent.
The lack of spending by the club has now begun to show its mal effect. With Dominic Calvert-Lewin out until the end of December and Salomón Rondón also sidelined, Everton has struggled to find the goal. All the goal-scoring hopes for Everton have fallen on Richarlison, a player with only one goal in a dozen matches. The Toffees have been shut out in three of their past five games and have been outscored 9-3 in that time.
Palace, who suffer no injuries to their front men or midfielders, are well-positioned to exploit Everton absences in the attack. Wilfried Zaha, Odsonne Edouard, and Jordan Ayew have been an increasing threat for Palace. Christian Benteke has also been dangerous coming off the Crystal Palace bench in must-score situations. Everton will struggle at a very noisy Selhurst Park this Sunday against a team that will leapfrog them in the tables with a win. Take Palace to win as Everton's demise resumes full speed ahead.
