CRYSTAL PALACE V EVERTON
SATURDAY 26 SEPTEMBER
SELHURST PARK
PREMIER LEAGUE
KICK-OFF: 3PM
TEAM NEWS
Everton centre-back pair Mason Holgate and Jarrad Branthwaite are unavailable with ankle and toe problems respectively, while long-term absentees Jean-Philippe Gbamin (Achilles) and Cenk Tosun (ACL) remain out.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin is fit having recovered from the "small problem" which saw him substituted at half-time in Everton's 5-2 win over Fleetwood Town on Wednesday night.
Fabian Delph came through his first game since February in that contest, playing 62 minutes at Highbury Stadium.
Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti says the midfielder will not travel to Crystal Palace, however, as he works his way back to optimum fitness and focuses on Wednesday's Carabao Cup last-16 clash with West Ham United at Goodison Park.
Crystal Palace striker Christian Benteke could return for Roy Hodgson’s side after a period on the sidelines with a foot problem.
Defenders Gary Cahill, James Tomkins, Patrick van Aanholt and Nathan Ferguson remain unavailable through injury, however.
HOW CAN I WATCH THE GAME?
Saturday's match is being streamed live on Amazon Prime. For those who do not have an Amazon Prime membership, free live radio commentary is available for digital members on the evertonfc.com Match Centre. The Match Centre also features our live blog, which includes video, imagery and in-game stats. Click here to become a digital member for free.
2020/21 PLAYER STATISTICS (PREMIER LEAGUE)
Everton
Top goalscorer
Dominic Calvert-Lewin: 4
Most assists
Richarlison: 2
Most touches
Michael Keane: 214
Most tackles
Allan: 9
Crystal Palace
Top goalscorer
Wilfried Zaha: 3
Most assists
Jeffrey Schlupp/Andros Townsend: 1
Most touches
Joel Ward: 95
Most tackles
Tyrick Mitchell: 10
KEY STATS AND MILESTONES
Everton are unbeaten in their past 11 games against Crystal Palace (won five, drew six).
Carlo Ancelotti’s side are aiming to record a fifth straight victory. The Blues have won their first five games of a season in all competitions on only four occasions before, with the previous stint in 1938/39.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hat-trick against West Brom moved him up to 28 top-flight goals for Everton. One more will take him to joint seventh on the Club’s all-time Premier League goalscoring chart, alongside Leighton Baines, Kevin Mirallas and Paul Rideout.
ONE TO WATCH: Tyrick Mitchell
Academy graduate Mitchell has seized his opportunity in the Palace side following an injury to regular left-back Patrick van Aanholt.
The 21-year-old made his senior debut for the south London club in July 2020, coming on as a substitute against Leicester City. He started Palace’s final two games last term and has remained a fixture in Roy Hodgson’s starting line-ups in 2020/21.
A quick and athletic defender, only one Premier League player (Leeds United’s Stuart Dallas) has made more than Mitchell’s 10 tackles this season.
The left-back has been compared by Hodgson to former Palace full-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka, with the Eagles boss declaring there is a “direct parallel” between the pair.
REFEREE: Kevin Friend
VAR: Anthony Taylor
