Everton travel to London to take on Crystal Palace this afternoon.
Pundit Mark Lawrenson has told BBC Sport that he thinks Crystal Palace will beat Everton 2-1 at Selhurst Park this afternoon.
Palace went into the international break with a 1-0 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur, and they remain bottom of the Premier League table with just four points from 11 games.
With Roy Hodgson hoping to drag the Eagles away from the relegation zone, he needs results quickly – and he will be keen to see fit-again striker Christian Benteke get amongst the goals to fire Palace to survival.
Hodgson will be hoping for just a second win of the season today, as Palace welcome a struggling Everton side to Selhurst Park this afternoon.
The Toffees picked up just their third win of the season before the international break, pulling off a stunning comeback against Watford having been 2-0 down before winning 3-2.
David Unsworth remains in caretaker charge since Ronald Koeman’s exit last month, with Everton getting no closer to appointing a new manager over the course of the international break.
Now, pundit Mark Lawrenson has told BBC Sport that he is stunned that Everton didn’t appoint a new boss since that win over Watford, and he is predicting another defeat for the Toffees today.
Lawrenson, who wants to see new England international Ruben Loftus-Cheek fulfil his potential with the Eagles, suggested that Palace will win the game 2-1, as they will manage to beat a disappointing Everton side.
“If he is fit, everyone will be looking to see how Ruben Loftus-Cheek plays for Crystal Palace after his performance on his England debut against Germany last week,” said Lawrenson. “Football is crazy sometimes – on the back of that friendly game, Loftus-Cheek is suddenly being seen by some people as potentially being England’s next superstar. He has lots of promise but I am sure Eagles boss Roy Hodgson has been telling him that these are just his baby steps, and there is a long, long way to go.”
“As for Everton, I am surprised that caretaker boss David Unsworth is still in charge for this game, because I thought they would appoint someone during the international break. The Toffees’ most recent result – a home win against Watford – and their performance to fight back and get it, albeit fortuitously, will have lifted the club enormously.”
“But they are still the same bunch of players that has struggled this season, and trying to recreate that energy away from Goodison Park is going to be more difficult. Palace are still bottom of the table but they have improved a lot under Hodgson, even if their results have not always reflected that, and I am backing them to win,” he added.
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