FA Cup 3rd Round Preview
Following four successive defeats in all competitions and a real back-down-to-earth feeling after their comprehensive loss to Wolves, Everton begin their FA Cup campaign away to Crystal Palace in front of the ITV cameras on Thursday evening.
With the painful elimination from the Carabao Cup at the quarter-final stage last month, the Toffees’ only path to silverware this season is now the FA Cup but with injuries affecting Sean Dyche’s small squad, there is a feeling among money that the manager should prioritise the Premier League and rest key players at Selhurst Park.
Idrissa Gueye and Abdoulaye Doucouré have been significant losses in midfield in recent games and, based on Dyche’s comments in his pre-match press conference, it doesn’t seem likely that either will be involved against Palace, at least from the start.
Gueye is still undergoing treatment in a calf problem and Doucouré was once again described by the gaffer as “touch-and-go” in terms of readiness with his hamstring now recovered as he returned to full training this week.
Dyche indicated that he hoped to have “one or two back in”, which perhaps hints that Ashley Young might be fit again having missed the last month or so with his own hamstring issue.
Should he decide to make changes to the core side that was called upon to play eight games in December, the likes of Arnaut Danjuma, Beto, Youssef Chermiti, Ben Godfrey and André Gomes would, no doubt, be hoping for more chances to impress while Seamus Coleman, a second-half substitute at Molineux last Saturday, would also benefit from more minutes.
There may even be scope for Jordan Pickford to be given a rest to give Joao Virginia a rare outing but that may be further than Dyche would be prepared to go in destabilising the team and risking a cup exit at the first hurdle.
Palace, who arrested a two-month winless streak when they beat Brentford last weekend, will be without key winger Michael Olise after he was ruled out this week with a thigh injury. Goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, defenders Rob Holding and Joel Ward, and midfielder Cheick Doucouré are also unavailable.
For Everton, they will be hoping for a result closer to their last visit to this ground in November when they came away with a 3-2 win rather than the 4-0 hammering they suffered under Frank Lampard in the last eight of this competition in 2022.
Kick-off: 8pm, Thursday 4 January, 2024
Last Time: Crystal Palace 4 – 0 Everton