Everton are back in action tonight, as the FA Cup rolls into town.
Having been held to a 0-0 draw last time out in both the Premier League and the cup, this replay is for the pleasure of facing Luton Town at home in the fourth round.
A tantalizing prospect, and one which Sean Dyche will be desperate to take ahold of.
However, he faces a number of selection headaches going into the match, and will likely need to rotate despite a long break in the offing.
Here’s our predicted XI for Everton vs Crystal Palace
Having dropped Jordan Pickford in the reverse fixture, we expect Joao Virginia to return to the starting side as one of five changes from Sunday, having looked comfortable in south London at the start of the month.
The Portuguese shot-stopper will sit behind a back four largely unchanged, with Seamus Coleman the only casualty from Sunday’s game against Aston Villa.
Nathan Patterson should replace him, and will be joined by Jarrad Branthwaite, James Tarkowski and Vitaliy Mykolenko in defence.
Then, moving into midfield, and the lack of pressure put on a cup draw could allow some additional movement in some roles.
For example, Amadou Onana might be handed an extra period of rest due to his importance to the side, allowing Andre Gomes to come in and star beside James Garner.
With Abdoulaye Doucoure a doubt due to fatigue, he will also drop out of the side, allowing Jack Harrison to take up a central role. He has impressed at times there this campaign.
Moving the Englishman inside then frees up room out wide, and given Dwight McNeil’s remarkable recovery from that last match against Palace, a start tonight is not completely beyond the realms of possibility.
The £15m winger did come off the bench at the weekend, but was quiet and ineffective. He will be hoping to recapture his form from last campaign which spurred journalist Joe Thomas to brand him ‘magic’.
Arnaut Danjuma, on the other hand, arguably forged the best chance of the game before his early substitution. He will retain his spot, hoping to solidify his role in the starting side.
Then, given the striking crisis up front, perhaps another experiment could be in order.
With Dominic Calvert-Lewin squandering that aforementioned golden chance, and Beto later replacing him to little effect, the number nine role is one just waiting for someone to take control.
Therefore, Youssef Chermiti could be handed his second-ever Everton start, in an effort to impress Dyche and solve his biggest concern at the moment.
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