Crystal Palace vs Everton on Sky: Andersen could return

Team news, stats and prediction ahead of Crystal Palace vs Everton in the Premier League on Sunday; kick-off 4.30pm.

Team news

Crystal Palace could be boosted by the return of Joel Ward and Joachim Andersen for the visit of Everton.

Right-back Ward missed the 1-0 defeat at Manchester United last weekend due to a one-match suspension but is available for Sunday’s Premier League fixture at Selhurst Park.

Andersen has been absent since November with a hamstring injury but returned to training this week. The Eagles do still remain without Nathan Ferguson and James McArthur despite both making good progress with their rehabilitation.

Everton defender Yerry Mina is sidelined again after a calf problem sustained in his comeback match against Arsenal on Monday.

The centre-back had been out for two months with a hamstring problem but now faces another spell in the treatment room.

Striker Salomon Rondon has recovered from the knock which kept him out of the Arsenal game but manager Rafael Benitez has yet to decide whether to bring dropped left-back Lucas Digne back into the squad.

How to follow

Crystal Palace vs Everton is live on Sky Sports Premier League from 4pm; kick-off 4.30pm. Sky Sports customers can watch in-game clips in the live match blog on the Sky Sports website and app. Highlights will also be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel shortly after the final whistle.

Last time out…

Jones Knows prediction

Crystal Palace have lost their last three Premier League games, all coinciding with the absence of central defender Joachim Andersen, whose ability to push up the pitch makes it easier for Palace to control games. They haven’t had much luck putting away lower-ranked teams this season either, failing to win in five games against teams in the bottom half. When you factor in those two variables, I’d be against them in this one at 5/4 with Sky Bet.

Everton are also unbeaten in the last 13 Premier League meetings between the teams and put in a proper performance for their manager in the win over Arsenal. They’ll be just fine when Dominic Calvert-Lewin returns.

One angle to focus on is the game sparking to life in the second half. Both these teams are notorious slow-starters with a patient, no-thrills approach in the opening knockings of a match. Of the 38 goals scored by these two clubs this season, 73 per cent of those have come in the second half. That makes the 11/10 with Sky Bet on the second half being the highest scoring half very appealing. It’s a bet that would have copped in seven of Palace’s last nine fixtures.

SCORE PREDICTION: 1-1

BETTING ANGLE: Second half to have most goals (11/10 with Sky Bet)

Opta stats

Following a seven-game unbeaten run, Crystal Palace have lost their last three Premier League games. They last lost more consecutively in June/July 2020 (7).Everton are winless in five away Premier League matches (D1 L4), their worst run since an eight-game stretch between April and October 2019. The Toffees have also conceded first in each of their current five-game winless run on the road.Everton have won more points from losing positions than any other side in the Premier League in 2021-22 (10), making up 56% of their total (10/18). In Premier League history, only Wolves in 2011-12 (60%, 15/25) and West Brom in 2010-11 (57%, 27/47) have won a higher share of their total points from losing positions in a single season.Only Wolves (4) have scored fewer first-half goals in the Premier League this season than Crystal Palace (5), while only Aston Villa (24%) have netted a lower share before the interval than the Eagles (26%).All four of Wilfried Zaha’s Premier League goals for Crystal Palace this season have been the opening goal of the game, with three of those ending up being the game’s winning strike. The Ivorian has scored just once in his 11 Premier League games against Everton, and has never been on the winning side against the Toffees.

Latest Essential Football Podcast

Alice Piper is joined by Sky Sports football journalists Ron Walker, Charlotte Marsh and Ben Grounds to look ahead to the Premier League weekend.

PART 1 | Ralf Rangnick’s start at Manchester United goes under the microscope ahead of their trip to Norwich. Plus, Steven Gerrard goes back to Anfield for the first time as a manager, when Aston Villa face Liverpool. We look at his start in the Midlands and that romantic return.

PART 2 | Leicester host Newcastle on Sunday, with Eddie Howe looking to land back-to-back wins for the Magpies. We assess their chances of doing that. Plus, after Everton’s last-gasp win over Arsenal, we build up to their Super Sunday clash with Crystal Palace and debate what Rafa Benitez must do to build on that victory.

PART 3 | We preview the Friday Night Football clash between Brentford and Watford, which starts a pivotal run of games for Claudio Ranieri’s side, and also take a look at Chelsea’s recent drop in form.