The first ever winter break in the English Premier League is upon us but lucky for us we get a staggered gameweek that is spread over the next two weeks which will keep the fans entertained during the dull days of February.
First on the list, an out of form Palace travel to Goodison Park to take on Everton.
It’s a tricky game to call, as Everton have had quite a decent spell at home unbeaten in their last five games, picking up three wins and two draws. On the other side, we have Palace who are having quite a difficult season but are quite hard to break down away from home. In their last five away games they have drawn four and lost just once.
Everton sit in ninth place while Roy Hodgson’s men are fourteenth. That may make both sides sound relatively comfortbale, but this looks like a game that neither team will want to risk losing as the gap between the Toffees and a relegation spot is just seven points, As such, Saturday should see quite a cagey affair take place.
As the old Saturday punting rule goes, don’t back the favs in the early kick-off, and I think that wisdom will hold true again in this. Everton (8/13) look like the dreaded early acca buster. I’d foresee quite a dull game and fancy it to finish as a draw at 11/4.
Result: Draw – 11/4
The one shining light with Everton in recent games has been the prolific form of young Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
He has racked up a cool 10 goals this season so far with seven of them coming in the last two months. He averages 2.92 shots per game this season which is the highest in his playing career for Everton, so he should be getting plenty of chances on Saturday.
Although I think the game will finish a draw, he’s the focal point of the home team’s attack against a defensive Palace team, so he’s worth a punt to get on the scoresheet first – only for Everton to let the Eagles back into it later. He’s also 11/4 in the first goalscorer market at the moment.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin to score first – 11/4
A Same Game Multi double of the Draw & Dominic Calvert-Lewin to score first pays out at @ 25/1
*All odds correct at time of publication
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