Key occasions
“I’d like so as to add Fulham plaudits to the Palace ones for Roy Hodgson,” writes Richard Hirst. “When Roy took over in 2008 we had been just about relegation certainties, just for him to maintain us up on the final day of the season. He then adopted that with our highest league place in 2008-09 and topped {that a} yr later by taking us to the Europa League closing.
“He not solely gave supporters the undreamed of alternative of seeing our workforce stroll out in a European closing however alongside the way in which added most likely the one best recreation in Fulham’s historical past, the comeback from 4-1 down in opposition to Juventus. A real hero at Fulham, by no means to be forgotten.”
Some weeks are larger than others
Lose the attraction… and never solely does the 10-point punishment stand however the risk will increase of a second factors deduction earlier than the tip of the season. The second cost, in spite of everything, covers two-thirds of the period for which Everton have already been discovered responsible of a £19.5m breach.
Meet the brand new supervisor. He’s not the identical because the previous supervisor.
Glasner’s on-pitch imaginative and prescient could be traced to his time working for Pink Bull. He spent two years as an assistant coach at Salzburg underneath Roger Schmidt, who went on to handle Bayer Leverkusen, PSV and Benfica. Though the formation is necessary to Glasner, his model relies extra across the behaviour of gamers in relation to understanding the excessive press and counterpress.
Ed Aarons on a tragic finish to Roy Hodgson’s managerial profession
Workforce information: Doucoure begins for Everton
Superb information for Everton: their high scorer Abdoulaye Doucoure returns to the beginning XI after harm. He replaces Jack Harrison in the one change from final weekend’s defeat at Manchester Metropolis.
Crystal Palace usher in Sam Johnstone, Joel Ward and Odsonne Edouard for Dean Henderson, Will Hughes and Matheus Franca. Which may imply a change to a again 5, which is how Palace performed at Goodison within the FA Cup final month; both that or Chris Richards will transfer into midfield
Everton (4-2-3-1) Pickford; Godfrey, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Gueye, Garner; Younger, Doucoure, McNeil; Calvert-Lewin.
Substitutes: Virginia, Lonergan, Patterson, Keane, Onana, Harrison, Beto, Chermiti, Dobbin.
Crystal Palace (attainable 5-4-1) Johnstone; Munoz, Ward, Andersen, Richards Mitchell; Ayew, Wharton, Lerma, Edouard; Mateta.
Substitutes: Henderson, Tomkins, Franca, Clyne, Ahamada, Riedewald, Ozoh, Umeh, Raymond.
Referee Paul Tierney.
Preamble
Don’t you hate it when a soccer match interrupts the information cycle? Everton and Crystal Palace are competing for headlines in addition to factors, and there has by no means been a Premier League recreation with a build-up fairly like this. One workforce is about to listen to whether or not their attraction in opposition to a 10-point deduction has been profitable; the opposite appointed a brand new supervisor just a few hours earlier than kick-off.
The information cycle can anticipate just a few hours. This can be a actually massive recreation: not fairly a six-pointer however one of many extra necessary matches within the relegation mini-league that has shaped on the backside of the Premier League. Everton will transfer out of the underside three and to inside two factors of Palace in the event that they win tonight. That might make issues Spandex-tight between 14th and 18th. A win for Palace, alternatively, would put them eight factors away from Everton and 7 of Luton. Not fairly secure, however with much less of a compulsion to look over their shoulder each couple of minutes.
In a way it’s a battle of the beleaguered. Everton have had a siege mentality since they had been deducted 10 factors in November; the results of their attraction will reportedly be introduced within the subsequent 48 hours. They haven’t gained a Premier League recreation in over two months, although their fixture listing in that point has been on the fiendish facet of inauspicious.
Palace have conceded 9 objectives of their final two away video games and will likely be with out their finest two gamers, Michael Olise and Ebere Eze tonight. With Roy Hodgson’s superb profession coming to a tragic finish, Paddy McCarthy and Ray Lewington will take care of the workforce tonight.
Glasner, who gained the Europa League with Eintracht Frankfurt in 2022, is anticipated to observe the sport from the stands. A win for Palace would make his in-tray really feel an entire lot lighter.
Kick off 8pm.
