Everton will be looking to overcome a blip that occurred against Bournemouth by returning to winning ways against an in-form Crystal Palace.
The Toffees were deservedly beaten by a determined Bournemouth last week, slipping to a 1-0 defeat. Palace, on the other hand, were the victors in a 5-goal thriller against Sunderland, scoring in stoppage time to win 3-2.
Everton sit in fifth place with 13 points, level on points with Arsenal and Liverpool who occupy the two spots above. Palace lie in seventh place with 10 points after winning their last three games on the spin.
So here we look at the three Crystal Palace players who could prove to be the biggest thorns in Everton’s proverbial side, and the one player who will be of most value to Ronald Koeman’s side if Everton are to emerge from the dust with all three points secure.
Let us know down below who you think Everton’s most important player will be.
Christian Benteke
Crystal Palace’s record £32million signing Christian Benteke has begun life at Selhurst Park in fine form, scoring twice in his opening four league appearances.
Benteke is undoubtedly a talented forward, shining for Aston Villa where he demonstrated his pace, strength and technical ability week in, week out.
Starved for confidence on Merseyside, Benteke’s time at Liverpool isn’t a fair reflection of what he can do, and what he can bring to Palace’s forward line.
Yohan Cabaye
Once seen as an astonishing signing for Crystal Palace, Yohan Cabaye has gone under the radar somewhat in recent times.
An essential component in Newcastle’s successful 2011/2012 campaign in which they achieved a fifth place Premier League finish, Cabaye is a masterful midfield technician. For Palace however, his performances are more inconsistent than they once were.
If Cabaye is playing well though, he is certainly one to watch out for. The Frenchman has the ability to dominate the midfield and dictate the nature of play when he so pleases, and will need to be managed accordingly.
Wilfried Zaha
One of Palace’s own, Wilfried Zaha has been more crucial than ever to the Eagles’ success since star winger Yannick Bolasie departed for pastures anew. Blessed with pace, skills and a determination to match, Zaha is certainly a handful for even the best of fullbacks.
It seems that Everton could once again be without Leighton Baines this weekend, and so it seems likely that Bryan Oviedo will once again deputise. In which case, Oviedo will need to be on his best if he is to avoid being turned inside out by the dynamic Englishman.
Yannick Bolasie (EFC Star Man)
Against Bournemouth, little actually went the way Everton would have hoped it would. The vast majority of players were very much off their usual high standards, and ultimately it wasn’t surprising that the Toffees lost the game.
One of the main problems was Romelu Lukaku’s lack of service. Lukaku is a player who heavily relies on quality service, and without proper support, the Belgian was left out to dry without a real hope.
Bolasie has impressed since joining the club this summer, and should he recover from his awful performance against Bournemouth and get back to his best, he can help to aid Lukaku in firing the Blues to victory once more.