Everton manager Marco Silva highlighted the threat of Crystal Palace captain Luka Milivojevic ahead of the clash at Selhurst Park.
Silva is determined to end this season with a flourish and Everton will visit Palace having won four of their last five games, a run which includes victories over Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United.
Last weekend’s 4-0 thumping of United at Goodison Park will live long in the memory for Toffees fans, but Silva says his side – currently ninth in the Premier League table, two points behind seventh-placed Wolves – cannot afford to underestimate their hosts on Saturday.
While most observers pinpoint Wilfried Zaha as the Eagles’ talisman, Silva knows Milivojevic can be a formidable opponent, having managed the Serbian midfielder at Greek side Olympiacos.
Silva said at his pre-match press conference: “I’m really happy when I can see our team perform like we did (against United), our players enjoying the game and our fans also.
Related:
But it was just three points for us. “We have to keep working hard to achieve what we want the week after. “This season hasn’t finished yet, there are many things to keep winning until the end, even if you are talking just about three games. “Next season will be the same, in the right moment we will talk about next season, it is not the moment to talk now.
“Now, for us, it is really important to put full focus on the Palace match, nothing more. “In my opinion, they have really high quality in their attack line with one player who is the key player who I know very well: Luka will play in the middle zone and can support really well their attack line. “They will be tough, it is a tough place to play but in my opinion, it is a good place to play, also. It’s up to us to do our best and if we reach our best level we can win the match.”
