Everton line-ups for Crystal Palace as Abdoulaye Doucoure and Arnaut Danjuma decisions made
Joe Thomas and Chris Beesley have named their preferred XIs for the clash with Crystal Palace on Thursday
Joe Thomas - Danjuma gets a chance
This is the FA Cup. It deserves to be taken seriously. I expect Sean Dyche, who has such fond memories of the competition from his playing days, to do so. I would. Even more so given the difficult run of form that needs to come to an end and given that Everton have 10 days until the next fixture to help players rest and recuperate.
If Doucoure is genuinely available then he starts for me. He is integral to this team and has been missed during his recent absence. Young and Gueye remain absent so the one other change I would consider would be to bring in Arnaut Danjuma. He has been used as a sub in recent games but with speculation over his future this feels the best opportunity to give him a chance to show he can play a significant role.
If Doucoure is not ready, I would start Harrison behind Calvert-Lewin and move Danjuma to the right - this is a useful chance to try and find a way to play with Doucoure in case he misses further games this season. If Doucoure is truly fit then I would start Danjuma on the left over McNeil.
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The biggest threat is Eberechi Eze, who gave Branthwaite his hardest test this season in the league game at Selhurst Park. Onana was not involved in that match so I am hopeful his return might help offer the centre backs more protection.
Up top, I stick with Calvert-Lewin, who I thought played relatively well at Wolves. A goal would be useful for the 26-year-old and so I want him to have the chance to get one so that it his run without one does not become a talking point in a quiet January.
My team (4-5-1): Pickford; Mykolenko, Branthwaite, Tarkowski, Patterson; Danjuma, Onana, Doucoure, Garner, Harrison; Calvert-Lewin
Chris Beesley - Dyche should go strong
By his own admission, Sean Dyche’s managerial record in knockout competitions is not a great one but hats off to him for his strong selection policy in the Carabao Cup this season and let’s hope that continues in the FA Cup tonight.The Everton manager says his players are young enough “when they’ve not heard any other story than the power of the league” and he believes “the Premier League is the controlling strength of the club.” However, his predecessor Frank Lampard fell into the trap of implementing unnecessarily excessive rotation in the cups, making an unprecedented 11 changes for a tie at Bournemouth and the 4-1 thrashing that followed set his team on a downward spiral that he could never recover from.Like Lampard, Dyche has also been given an away tie against fellow Premier League opposition in the third round but unlike last year’s daunting trip to Manchester United when the Blues still suffered from travel sickness, they’ve been far better on the road of late with their previous trip to Crystal Palace marking their third victory in London this term. Rather than being an unwelcome distraction at a time when Everton’s Premier League status is again under threat through a 10-point deduction, the biggest sporting penalty in English top flight history, a cup run can help keep up the good habits of winning and build momentum around the club.Therefore it’s time for the Blues to go big or go home again and name their strongest possible line-up at Selhurst Park – after all there is a 10-day gap until they’re next in action again – and that hopefully means that top scorer Abdoulaye Doucoure, who Dyche said was “touch and go” for the game at Wolverhampton Wanderers, comes back into the side.My team (4-5-1): Pickford; Patterson, Mykolenko, Tarkowski, Branthwaite; Onana, Garner, Doucoure, Harrison, McNeil; Calvert-Lewin