Everton v Crystal Palace: Toffees can win vital clash without conceding

• Both teams on poor run of form

• Eight of Everton's last nine wins were to nil

• Palace have lost four on the spin on the road

• Eagles still missing a trio of star players

• Read Betfair's new 90 minute payout offer here

Everton v Crystal Palace
Monday, 20:00
Live on Sky Sports

A proper six-pointer at Goodison

Regardless of the weekend's Premier League results Everton will kick-off against Crystal Palace on Monday night rooted in the relegation zone after failing to win any of their last seven league games.

A bit of context is needed however. In that seven-game winless run Sean Dyche's men have played champions Manchester City twice, top four candidates Tottenham (twice) and Aston Villa, and away from home at mid-table Fulham and Wolves.

They drew three of those games and weren't massively disgraced in any of the four defeats, but the Toffees will start to become immune from criticism if they fail to beat the out-of-form Eagles in front of their own fans.

Crystal Palace have their own problems, not least off the field.

Manager Roy Hodgson was taken to hospital on Thursday morning after becoming ill during a training session. It was being widely reported at the time that Hodgson would be sacked that day with the Eagles set to appoint former Eintracht Frankfurt boss Oliver Glasner as his replacement.

It's long odds-on now that Hodgson has managed his last game at Selhurst Park, but it remains to be seen if Glasner is confirmed as the new boss before Monday's trip to Goodison Park.

Whoever names the starting XI will know just how crucial this game is. Palace are just two places and five points above Everton in 18th. Win and that gap stretches to eight points, lose and it's down to just two. It's a real 'six-pointer' then.

Injuries to prove costly for Eagles

I was a little surprised to see Everton at 7/101.70 in the Match Odds market given their current form, but it wasn't that long ago that the Toffees were winning four games on the spin that included home victories over Newcastle and Chelsea.

If they play anywhere near to that standard then their win odds are fully justified against a Palace team they beat 1-0 just a few weeks ago in the FA Cup.

And while the Eagles will still be without a trio of key players in Marc Guehi, Michael Olise and Ebereche Eze, Dyche has almost got a fully fit squad to choose from after announcing on Saturday that Ben Godfrey and Abdoulaye Doucoure had been passed fit.

So I have not interest in backing Palace at 4/15.00 or even the Draw at 11/43.75, and I will side with a home win. However, I'm not a fan of tipping at odds-on so instead I'll back Everton to Win to Nil at 8/52.60.

There was a time when, if you fancied Dyche's Burnley to win a game then it was far more profitable to back them to win without conceding as it happened so regularly. The same can be said about Dyche's Everton.

The Toffees' last nine victories in all competitions were secured by scorelines of 3-0, 1-0, 3-0, 3-2, 1-0, 3-0, 2-0, 2-0, 1-0. Yes, you read that correctly. Eight of those nine wins were achieved without conceding a goal.

Toffees can Corner the market

When these two sides met at Goodison Park in the FA Cup recently Everton dominated the corner count, and with Palace set to field a weaker starting XI on Monday night I can see that happening again.

In their last home game the Toffees won the corner count 9-5 against Tottenham, so even though I fancy them to win the corner count against Palace, a price of 2/51.40 makes little appeal.

Everton to have over 6.5 corners is priced at 6/42.50 however, and although that's not a mark they surpass regularly, in a game where I can see them having lots of attacking phases and getting the ball in the box early - as they did against Spurs - I think it's well worth chancing here.

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