Season › 2013-14 › News Crystal Palace vs Everton Lyndon Lloyd , 8 November, 0comments | Jump to most recent Match Preview Everton prepare for their 11th match of the Premier League campaign sitting among a clutch of six clubs all within a point of each other behind leaders Arsenal. The Blues were held to a tightly-contested 0-0 draw against Tottenham Hotspur last Sunday which meant they weren't able to jump into second place but a visit to bottom club Crystal Palace offers an opportunity to take more strides forward in the quest for a top-four finish come May. Already searching for their next full-time manager after Ian Holloway resigned two weeks ago, Palace have collected just three points all season so far and have managed just two goals from seven matches since that solitary a win over fellow strugglers Sunderland at the end of August. That makes caretaker boss Keith Millen's men an inviting prospect for Everton — who have now gone four hours without conceding — although Roberto Martinez will be mindful of the need for his team to score the goals they will need to win while also guarding against a spirited response from the Eagles in their first home game since Holloway's departure. Article continues below video content Martinez will take heart from his team's elevated display after half time last weekend following a lacklustre first period in which they had afforded Spurs too much of the possession and attacking initiative. The onus will very much be on the Blues to take the game to Palace and re-establish the dominance of the ball on which the Spaniard has placed so much emphasis and the team will be buouyed in that respect by the fact that Romelu Lukaku has been given the all clear to play. The Belgian striker suffered a dead leg in that infamous collision with Hugo Lloris on Sunday but has recovered and will lead the line, hopefully supported by his compatriot and somewhat mercurial presence in Blue this season, Kevin Mirallas. This looks, on paper, to be the sort of game that Mirallas can make his own but he has struggled to find any consistency under the new manager. When he has been on his game, though, he has been provided some crucial assists and Lukaku could well rely on his service again this weekend. While the starting XI is likely to be unchanged — if there is to be one alteration, it might be to bring back Ross Barkley in place of Leon Osman — the predicted character of this game might give Martinez an opporutnty to give more playing time to Gerard Deulofeu. The young Spaniard showed in his start against Fulham that the defensive side of his game needs work if he is to succeed in the Premier League this season but he could well be unleashed on Palace's leaky defence in the second half, particularly if Everton are already winning. Ultimately, this is another of those games that a team with Everton's aspirations should be comfortably winning regardless of the venue and, just as they did at Aston Villa a fortnight ago, they should make good on their superiority with a victory that, depending on results elsewhere, could push them higher in a crowded part of the league table. Kick off: 3pm Referee: Craig Pawson » Read more Live Matchday Forum Memory Lane – Match 11 Global TV Coverage About these ads © ToffeeWeb