Patrick Vieira has confirmed that four Crystal Palace players are set to miss Thursday’s trip to Goodison Park to face Everton.
The Eagles are chasing a top-ten finish and a record Premier League points haul that can only be accomplished if they win on Merseyside and beat Manchester United at Selhurst Park on the final day of the season. Everton are fighting for top-flight survival meanwhile and know three points against Palace would secure their status in the division.
Vieira has already bested the Toffees twice this season in south London, overseeing a 3-1 win in the league and a 4-0 demolition in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. The Frenchman told reporters in his pre-match press conference on Wednesday he was expecting a fervent atmosphere at Goodison Park on Thursday and said his side would need to be prepared for a physically intense 90 minutes.
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He also gave an injury update on his Palace squad, confirming that four players would not be making the journey due to injury. Michael Olise ’s absence was already known, with Vieira saying after his side’s 1-1 draw at Aston Villa last Sunday that the 19-year-old winger would miss the remainder of the season with an injury.
Aside from Olise, Palace will also be without midfielder James McArthur after his latest knock following the 2-1 win at Southampton last month. The Scotsman was not in the squad for the subsequent win over Watford nor Sunday’s draw at Villa Park. with Vieira adding him to the list of unavailable players for Thursday.
Full-back Nathan Ferguson and centre-back James Tomkins will also miss the trip, with the latter having recently returned to team training following an injury but not being ready to play yet.
“The last couple of games that [Everton] played at home the atmosphere was unbelievable,” said Vieira. “They are in a really difficult position, they need to win and we expect a tough game - a difficult one. But we will want to play of course as best as we can and the objective is always to try to win the game.”
He added: “I think it will be no different from the last game that they played. I think they will be playing with a lot of pressure. They will be really aggressive. And I think from the first minute, they will be up in our faces. So we are expecting a tough, tough game.”
