FA Cup Preview: Crystal Palace vs Everton - form, H2H & prediction

Everton have simultaneously defied expectations and sports betting odds this season by first replicating their form from last year, and then in the face of adversity mounting a spirit rise out of the hole that this the relegation zone. Few bookmakers saw either outcome happening, and you would have needed a more sophisticated approach such as that of sports betting solutions soft2bet to even begin to chart Everton’s potential.

However, despite the fightback, Everton are still mired in trouble and the second half of the season will be a difficult one for the Blues.

Sean Dyche's last-ditch attempt to guide Everton to a piece of silverware this season commences on Thursday, January 4, at Selhurst Park against Crystal Palace. 

November's ten-point deduction in the Premier League plunged the Toffees back into the dreaded relegation fight, leaving them only one point clear of 18th-placed Luton Town and with far worse odds in sports betting to be actually relegated this season.

For Everton, the wheels have come off following a frustrating EFL Cup exit to Fulham on penalties in a game they were predicted to lose as per most sports betting odds, with Dyche's side failing to recover afterwards, compromising their survival chances in the top flight. 

Everton lost three consecutive games to end 2023 on a low note, with defeats to Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City followed by an away loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers, substantially shifting the sports betting odds for relegation. Molineux. 

Since the Merseysiders are already out of contention for the other two domestic trophies, the FA Cup emerges as the last opportunity for Dyche to salvage another disappointing campaign, although the sports betting odds for them doing so aren’t that great.

How Have Everton Fared in the FA Cup Over the Years?

Everton's FA Cup journey in 2022/23 ended in the third round at the hands of Manchester United as Frank Lampard's team slipped to a 3-1 defeat at Old Trafford.

That result extended the club's long-standing struggles in the competition and was part of the reason the Toffees parted with the ex-Chelsea midfielder and appointed Dyche as the new chief of staff.

It's now up to the 52-year-old manager to instill a renewed sense of confidence and give the heartbroken Goodison Park faithful a reason to celebrate during the festive period. 

However, Everton's track record in the English most prominent cup competition paints a bleak picture.

You'd need to return to 2015/16 for the last time they defied the sports betting odds to reach the semi-finals, while four of their subsequent seven FA Cup campaigns failed to overcome the first hurdle. 

Since last lifting the crown in 1994/95, the Toffees' standout achievement in the tournament came in the 2008/09 season as they lost 2-1 to Chelsea in the grand final. 

Qualifying for the showpiece event would be a dream come true in these uncertain times, yet Everton must focus on taking one step at a time. 

Confident Travellers

Dyche's men have reigned supreme in the hostile setting this season, making a trip to Selhurst Park an ideal chance to progress beyond the FA Cup third round.

Everton already triumphed at this venue in early November, with Idrissa Gueye's 86th-minute winner propelling them to a 3-2 Premier League victory in Palace's backyard. 

That success formed part of a four-match winning away league streak before last week's frustrating 2-1 loss at Tottenham brought it to a halt. 

But the Toffees' incredible away form demands respect nevertheless. 

Before the Wolves loss to end 2023, each of their three competitive defeats outside Goodison in 2023/24 has come against the top-five teams in the Premier League where they were heavily outgunned and second favourites in the sports betting odds, while they've emerged victorious on seven of their remaining eight travels (D1). 

With that in mind, despite the chastening result at Molineux, Everton ought to make this journey in a buoyant mood. 

Everton Too Hot to Handle for Palace

The abovementioned triumph in November marked Everton's fourth successive unbeaten league game against the Eagles, with the Toffees getting into the win column on three occasions (D1).

However, the last time Dyche's side lost a match to Palace was ominously in the FA Cup as the London outfit themselves upset the sports betting odds and ran out 4-0 victors in the 2021/22 quarter-finals. 

The win could be considered an anomaly, given that it stands as one of only two victories for Palace in their last 19 competitive encounters against Everton since January 2015 (D8, L9).

But since both those wins came at Selhurst Park in the past three years, Everton can't afford to take this tie lightly.

Prediction

Unless Palace can beat Brentford at home in their last Premier League outing of 2023, they'll finish the calendar year as the worst-performing side in the English top flight. 

Roy Hodgson's lads are winless in their last eight league matches (D3, L5), and given Everton's formidable away form, we expect results to follow the sports betting and for the Toffees to conquer Selhurst Park at the turn of the new year.

It’s probably that Hodgson might not be in charge by then, such is the tumultuous nature of football – but that will not distract Everton, who are hell-bent on surviving this season.