It's an exciting period as Premier League football finally returns, and even the most pessimistic of Everton supporters will be looking forward to returning to the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
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Everton face Crystal Palace this weekend, and although supporters will know plenty about this weekend's opponents, who knows them better than the fans of Selhurst Park?
We decided to get an opposition's view ahead of the weekend, to maybe find out some bits that we might not know. Potential players to watch after pre-season, how Palace have fared during the summer, where the best match-up could be during the game.
Everton have a relatively strong record against the Eagles and are unbeaten against them on their own turf since 2014. The Toffees didn't win an awful lot during their first season at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, but the Eagles were one side Everton did beat.
Jack Grealish scored a late winner that day as Everton came from behind to win 2-1.
So, let's get straight into it. We've spoken to Roundtable's Crystal Palace representative Henry Swain to get the lowdown. Be sure to check out his preview below, where I answered some questions on the Toffees.
Crystal Palace's Premier League curtain raiser comes against the Toffees this Saturday. Here's everything you need to know ahead of the game, including the history of the fixture, expected lineups and opposition view.roundtable.ioEverton vs Crystal Palace Bumper Preview - Fixture History, Expected Lineups And Opposition View
Crystal Palace's Premier League curtain raiser comes against the Toffees this Saturday. Here's everything you need to know ahead of the game, including the history of the fixture, expected lineups and opposition view.
One player to watch after pre-season
Many Evertonians will know all about some of the threat that Palace have. The line-breaking passing and technical ability of Adam Wharton, the pace and goalscoring ability of Ismaila Sarr, or the bombing down the wing of Everton target Daniel Munoz.
Despite that, one player Henry has warned Everton fans about is young defender Jaydee Canvot.
“Jaydee Canvot has probably been a standout so far. His performances last season were seriously impressive considering the lack of experience he joined Palace with. Physically, he’s developed massively, and there’s a strong feeling amongst the Palace fanbase that he could really step up this season. He feels like the ‘next one up’ in Palace’s line of young talents, and with a starting place virtually guaranteed this season, he’s definitely one to watch.”
At the age of 20, Canvot has already established himself as a first-team regular with the Eagles. After playing 20 times in the Premier League last season, and 36 times overall, Canvot looks set to be a regular for Palace this term.
How have Palace fared in pre-season?
Pre-season doesn’t mean an awful lot, as there are many factors to take into consideration. One factor behind Palace’s ‘mixed bag’ during the summer has been that a host of their squad were participating at the World Cup and returned to training late. In fact, they had the fifth most players at the World Cup of any individual club.
“It’s been a mixed bag in terms of pre-season, as it often is for Palace. I think the biggest standout has been that we are clearly a few weeks behind in terms of preparation. We had the fifth most players at the World Cup of any individual club, and the majority of our key players have only returned to the squad over the last week or two. Half of our pre-season games have essentially been academy sides with a couple of senior players, and that’s shown in some of the results.”
Henry claims that Palace did field a ‘full-strength’ squad to face Freiburg across two games, losing 3-0 to the Bundesliga outfit.
“Freiburg didn’t go to plan last week, losing 3-0 across the two games, but it was the first time we fielded what could be considered a ‘full-strength’ squad. The refreshing thing is that Sage hasn’t complained about that, he’s been very open that it may take a few weeks to get going properly, and with our opening two fixtures being pretty tough, you guys and Manchester City, there’s a feeling it’ll definitely be a slow start.”
Palace fans are expecting a slow start to the season, it seems, and it’s a tough place for them to go, having failed to win away at Everton since 2014.
Where can Everton take advantage?
Henry suggests that it could be a strong duo of Adam Wharton and Daichi Kamada in the middle of the park for Palace. Although that’s plenty of midfield talent, Henry is worried about the intensity in midfield for the Eagles.
“ I’d probably look at the middle of the pitch here. When I think of matchups in the past, we’ve often struggled with your intensity and bodies in midfield. Wharton is still getting back up to speed and Kamada has only been back for a few weeks. I’d expect that duo to start, but with the energy that Everton have in that area of the pitch, it could be a difficult matchup.”
Henry might be right, but it’s certainly not a perfect midfield situation either, with Christian Norgaard and James Garner ruled out injured.
Which Everton player would you poach for Palace?
Perhaps an interesting question to ask, considering both sides have taken a player from each other during the summer transfer window.
Outside of that, Henry would also like to take Iliman Ndiaye if he could nab another Everton player, which isn’t a huge surprise.
“Iliman Ndiaye. Always been a huge fan of his, and a player like him is so valuable, especially in games which look like they could be decided by tight margins. His direct running and ability to create something out of nothing could definitely cause issues for Palace. He scored the penalty in the game last season at your place, where Palace consistently missed chances and probably could’ve been well ahead at half-time. Alternatively, I would’ve said Dwight McNeil, as he always showed up against Palace, but of course, he could well start for us this time out.”
Henry signs off by suggesting that he’s certainly not confident heading into this one…
“The general feeling ahead of this game is not one of confidence. Everton have always been a bogey team for Palace, even when you guys were really struggling, you always found a way to beat us, especially at home. There’s not much confidence going into it!!”