Preview: Everton Women vs Crystal Palace | Key Stats & Predictions | WSL Week 17
We look ahead to tomorrow's WSL clash at Walton Hall Park with our Everton vs Crystal Palace prediction and preview. Can the Toffees bounce back from their Arsenal defeat against a renewed Palace?
📅 Date: Saturday, 22nd March 2025
⏰ Kick-off: 14:00 GMT
📍 Venue: Walton Hall Park
📺 How to Watch: YouTube
🔍 Match Context & Overview
Everton host Crystal Palace at Walton Hall Park with both teams experiencing contrasting emotions but similar inconsistent form. The Toffees are looking to bounce back from last week's 3-1 defeat to Arsenal, while Palace arrive with a psychological boost following their impressive 3-1 victory over Aston Villa in their last outing.
Everton currently occupy eighth place in the WSL with 16 points, while Palace sit at the bottom of the table with 9 points. Despite the gap in the standings, their previous encounter this season ended in a competitive 1-1 draw at Palace, suggesting this fixture could be closer than the table positions indicate.
🔵 Everton's Home Advantage
Everton's home form has been their saving grace this season, with three wins from eight matches at Walton Hall Park. Their attacking output improves significantly on home soil, scoring 10 goals in 8 home matches (1.25 per game) compared to just 5 goals in their away fixtures.
Everton must quickly regroup from their Arsenal disappointment, with inconsistent form (W-L-L-W-L) hampering their progress this season. However, their home performances have yielded 11 points (70% of their season tally), suggesting Walton Hall Park provides a significant advantage.
Defensively, Everton have slightly overperformed, conceding 25 goals against an expected goals against (xGA) of 26.8. Courtney Brosnan has been crucial between the posts, making a league-high 4.8 saves per match with a 76.2% save percentage and 3 clean sheets this campaign.
🦅 Crystal Palace's Away Threat
Despite sitting bottom of the table, Palace's away form offers some encouragement with 5 points gained on the road (1 win, 2 draws, 5 losses). Interestingly, they've scored more goals away (9) than at home (6), suggesting they might be more dangerous on their travels.
Palace's recent upturn in form is noteworthy, with their 3-1 victory over Aston Villa potentially marking a turning point in their season under new manager Leif Smerud. The switch to a 4-3-1-2 formation appears to have unlocked more attacking potential, something Everton will need to be wary of.
Palace's defensive vulnerabilities remain their biggest concern, having conceded a league-high 40 goals this season. However, their expected goals against (xGA) of 31.9 suggests some unfortunate moments have contributed to this high figure.
🔥 Key Battle Areas
Everton's midfield vs Palace's forward line will be crucial. Honoka Hayashi's goal-scoring threat from midfield (4 goals, significantly overperforming her xG of 0.9) could be decisive against Palace's porous defense. Conversely, the attacking partnership of Katie Stengel and Annabel Blanchard (3 goals each) poses a genuine threat to an Everton defense that has conceded 4 penalties this season (highest in the WSL).
key stats:
Everton: 16 points from 16 matches (4W, 4D, 8L)
Crystal Palace: 9 points from 16 matches (2W, 3D, 11L)
Everton home goals: 10 scored, 15 conceded in 8 matches
Crystal Palace away goals: 9 scored, 22 conceded in 8 matches
Both teams have received 24 yellow cards this season (joint 3rd most)
🏆 Head-to-Head
The historical record between these sides is limited due to Palace's recent promotion, but their most recent encounter ended in a competitive draw:
Previous meeting: 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace (November 10, 2024)
Everton had 54% possession but underperformed expected goals (0.9 xG vs 1.8 xGA)
🔎 Players to Watch
Honoka Hayashi (Everton)
The midfielder has 4 goals this season despite having just 15 shots, demonstrating remarkable efficiency. Her 26.7% conversion rate and overperformance of xG by +3.1 highlights her clinical nature in front of goal.
Toni Payne (Everton)
Leading the team with 3 assists and 18 shot-creating actions, her creativity and progressive carries (38, most on the team) make her Everton's primary attacking catalyst. Her ability to drive forward and create opportunities will be crucial against Palace's vulnerable defense.
Katie Stengel (Crystal Palace)
Palace's joint top-scorer with 3 goals has also contributed 3 assists, directly involved in 6 of Palace's 15 goals this season. Her all-round attacking threat will require special attention from Everton's defence.
Annabel Blanchard (Crystal Palace)
With 3 goals including 1 penalty and an xG of 3.1, she represents Palace's most consistent goal threat. Her ability to find scoring positions in a team that creates relatively few chances (13.19 shot-creating actions per 90) demonstrates her goalscoring instinct.
📌 Prediction
Our AI model, trained on historical data and recent form, forecasts:
Everton win: 56%
Crystal Palace win: 22%
Draw: 22%
Key Factors:
Everton's superior home record (11 points from 8 games)
Crystal Palace's away goal-scoring capability (9 goals in 8 matches)
The Toffees' inconsistent recent form
Palace's boost from their recent win against Aston Villa
The competitive 1-1 draw in their previous meeting
📢 Have Your Say!
Can Everton capitalise on their home advantage? Will Crystal Palace build on their Aston Villa victory? Which players will prove decisive in this crucial WSL clash? Drop your predictions in the comments!