Football Bet of the Day: Everton can edge blunted Palace

There is a huge clash at the bottom of the Premier League table when Everton host Crystal Palace on Monday night. 

The Toffees are anxiously awaiting the outcome of their appeal to the ten-point deduction they received earlier in the season, but as things stand, Sean Dyche’s side are in major trouble at the wrong end of the division. 

Palace sit just five points ahead of the Merseyside men in the top-light table, but the advantage can be cut to only two if the Eagles fall to Everton at Goodison Park. 

The Toffees have won only one of their last 11 matches, that victory was a 1-0 triumph over Palace in the FA Cup in January and it’s also a major concern that the Toffees have failed to score in five of their last eight games. 

However, the Merseysiders did battle to a 2-2 Goodison Park draw with a good Tottenham side in their most recent home contest and prior to that they also took a point in a 0-0 draw with Fulham. 

Everton were beaten 2-0 by the champions Man City last time out, but they restricted the Citizens to only three shots on target and that trio of contests doesn’t read as awful form in the context of a home tie with Palace. 

The Eagles have won only two of their last 16 matches, they have scored only two goals in their last four games, but that poor run of form looks the least of Palace’s worries going into their trip to Goodison Park. 

Roy Hodgson’s time in charge at Selhurst Park appears to be coming to a close, with Oliver Glasner lined up to replace him after the veteran manager was taken ill during training.  

Whatever the view of Hodgson being the right man to keep Palace in the Premier League, not having the 76-year-old in the dugout on Monday can’t possibly be a positive. 

The other big issue for the south Londoners is the injuries to star men Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze. That duo have hit a combined 11 goals this season and assisted six times and that’s a huge chunk of talent missing at Goodison Park. 

Olise has made only eight top-flight appearances this term, Eze has managed just 13 and the numbers without the former QPR man in the side are stark. 

Palace have a win percentage of 33 with Eze in the team and that drops to just 15 without the 25-year-old. The Eagles have failed to score in eight of the 20 matches that Olise has missed this term and the prospects of finding the next at Goodison Park on Monday night look pretty glum. 

Over 2.5 goals looks a pretty strong selection on Merseyside and the two previous matches between these sides this season have finished 1-0 and 0-0. However, there is probably more fun to be had than backing unders at 4/6 at Goodison Park. 

Taking an Everton victory and fewer than three strikes in the contest at 23/10 looks a better bet in what could prove to be a crucial clash in the battle to avoid relegation to the Championship.