Everton at Crystal Palace: Writer Prediction League

Just about every time you think you’ve got Everton figured out, they completely flip the script?

• Get off to a good start to the season? Time to forget how to football.
• Spend half the season toiling in mediocrity? Time to thrash two top-six teams in the span of two matches.
• Heading to already-relegated Fulham in easily the club’s best run of form this season? Time to forget how to football again!

So really, maybe we should have seen Everton’s utter annihilation of Manchester United coming, because it felt like the least likely outcome after the embarrassment at Craven Cottage.

So of course, the Toffees come off the high of that win to play away to mid-table Crystal Palace — a club with a fraction of the talent United has, but structure that has once again kept it pretty comfortably safe from relegation all season. Has Everton learned the lessons of the Fulham match, or will this weekend be a replay of that horrific performance?

Before we dig into our writers’ answers to that question though, let’s review who was rewarded for their optimism in the United match.

Rachel and Pete were the big winners from this one. Both correctly predicted the Everton victory, with Pete getting Richarlison right as the opening scorer and Rachel getting Gylfi Sigurdsson right as Everton’s man of the match.

Sean also correctly predicted an Everton victory, while Tom got Richarlison correct as the match’s opening scorer.

With those points, we had a change near the top of the prediction league table.

Rachel, who not long ago was tied for last place, has continued her meteoric rise up the table, passing everyone but Calvin along the way. With just three matches to go, she’s likely the only one with a realistic chance of catching our fearless leader.

She’s got a chance to make up even more ground on him this week during Everton’s trip to Selhurst Park, because you’ll notice one fundamental difference between her picks and everyone else’s.

Rachel is the only writer to pick Crystal Palace to win this weekend. The rest of the picks are split — six of us have Everton winning, with the other six predicting a draw.

On the whole, we like Everton to get on the board first, with only Rachel and I picking Palace players to open the scoring. In particular, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Dominic Calvert-Lewin are favored with Richarlison possibly missing out due to injury.

Richarlison’s absence has also opened up room for others in the man of the match predictions. Chris and I have Ademola Lookman, who we believe will start in Richarlison’s place. Sigurdsson remains a popular choice as well, along with Lucas Digne and Idrissa Gueye.