15		Nottingham Forest	25	6	6	13	32	44	-12	24	WLXL	13	4	3	6	19	20	12	2	3	7	13	24
	16		Crystal Palace	24	6	6	12	27	43	-16	24	LLWL	12	3	3	6	15	19	12	3	3	6	12	24
	17		Luton Town	24	5	5	14	34	47	-13	20	LLXW	13	3	2	8	19	22	11	2	3	6	15	25
	18		Everton1	24	8	5	11	26	32	-6	19	LXOO	12	3	3	6	13	14	12	5	2	5	13	18
	19		Burnley	25	3	4	18	25	55	-30	13	LLXL	13	1	2	10	13	32	12	2	2	8	12	23
	20		Sheffield United	25	3	4	18	22	65	-43	13	LWLL	13	2	2	9	12	36	12	1	2	9	10	29
1	Everton (-10)

 

No disrespect to either, but watching this game will feel a little like "rubbernecking" two car crash teams, you know you should tear your eyes away but it is impossible not to look. Palace are five points better off , but were apparently about to sack Roy Hodgson last week before he was taken ill and rushed to hospital on Thursday where the 76 yo remains and is in a stable condition. He is hugely popular within the game and a gentleman and everyone wishes him well, but it is no secret that he will be replaced by Oliver Glasner of Eintracht Frankfurt as soon as (I assume) good taste allows. Palace are without what most would call their three prize assets in Cheick Doucoure, Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise and, one opposing head coach of a jealous relegation rival earlier this season called them a Championship side with two £60m+ players, after Eze and Olise pulled his team apart. That duo have 11 goals and 4 assists between them, from a team who have only scored 27 total and dictate so much of what the Eagles do offensively. Doucoure is key to protecting the backline , in the last three starts that Olise has missed they are pointless, conceding 12 goals and he has scored 5 and assisted for three in his last five games, when Eze is absent they are 0-3-6, 6-3-6 when he starts.

 

As bad as all that sounds, as a club, they look in good shape compared to Everton! The Toffees are much the better team, but that 10 point deduction has deflated them and they have been winless in seven EPL starts since the pre Christmas game at Burnley when top scorer, midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure left the pitch and is yet to return. It is no stretch to say that this is the biggest week in the club's history. This fixture feels huge and they are expecting to hear the result of the appeal against their deduction. That is key as they already face a second charge and one which covers two thirds of the period for which the club have already been found guilty. I have no idea what their appeal was based on, as they admitted to breaching PSR at the original hearing and the punishment was based on that. I can only think they are looking to have the deduction reduced, but even so, they would have the second charge still to be heard. They are also leaving Goodison Park after next season and have a proposed takeover by a controversial (take a look at their brief history) US investment firm, 777 Partners, waiting to be approved by the Premier League, which has so far taken over five months to make a decision! What a mess!

 

It looks like Everton will have Doucoure back this evening, at least for an hour or so, as he returned to full training last week and that will be a major boost to a midfield where Palace are shorthanded. The hosts also have a good h2h record in this series being unbeaten in six, including winning the three played at Goodison Park, three of those games were played this season, with The Toffees winning the reverse league game 3-2 in November, drawing 0-0 at Selhurst Park to start the New Year and edging the replay 1-0 and Everton head coach Sean Dyche has won more games against Palace (9) than any other club. 

 

It is a super interesting game with huge relegation repercussions, but I think I will just be "rubbernecking".

 

If forced to pick, maybe Everton to win by exactly one goal offers some value at circa 3.70+

 

Good luck!