Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson believes that Everton will secure all three points when they face Crystal Palace at Goodison Park on Sunday.
He has raved about the Toffees’ win over Leicester City before the international break, singling out midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson for his excellent individual effort.
Merson has backed Marco Silva’s side to secure a 2-0 win over Palace, who the pundit claims are “struggling badly” so far this season.
“Everton’s win at Leicester was a big victory, especially after their defeat in the Carabao Cup. The cup defeat was a poor result but they bounced back in good style at Leicester. They looked decent at the King Power Stadium,” he told Sky Sports.
“They scored a great goal through Gylfi Sigurdsson and at times during the game they looked by far the better team. It was a great result and I’m backing them to continue that form against Crystal Palace.
“Palace are all over the place at the moment. They are struggling badly so I’m going for a comfortable home win.”
OPINION
It is hard to argue with Merson over his prediction here. Everton have been a mixed bag so far this term, but they really turned it around with a superb win over Leicester a few weeks’ ago. Merson has backed them to continue that form into Sunday’s match – and there is no doubt that they can. The Eagles are really struggling this season and Everton should have no problems putting two past them in this clash. The team do not seem to know where their heads are at, and this is something that the Toffees should take huge advantage of. This could be a real turning point for Everton if they win here, as it will give them the confidence that they are capable of the same eighth place finish from last year. They have the players to do it – such as key man Sigurdsson, who Merson singled out for his goal – they will just need to prove it against Crystal Palace this weekend.