Thierno Barry could start for Everton at Selhurst Park on Sunday as Crystal Palace chase a win that would guarantee their Premier League safety. Palace host Everton with three games remaining in the season; a victory would confirm Palace cannot be caught and end the relegation equation.
Palace sit 15th in the table, seven points above the drop zone, and they have built that cushion in part on the back of a run at Selhurst Park. They are unbeaten in eight home matches and have conceded just twice in those eight games. Away from the league, Palace also have positive momentum: they beat Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1 on the night on May 8 after winning the first leg 3-1, progressing 5-2 on aggregate and setting up a Conference League final against Rayo Vallecano.
That European run is the immediate backdrop to Sunday’s match. Palace have one eye on the Conference League final while still needing points to be certain of staying in the Premier League, a balance that will shape team selection and urgency at Selhurst Park.
Everton arrive off a 3-3 draw with Manchester City on Monday that extended their winless league run to four matches. The Toffees have conceded at least two goals in six of their last eight Premier League matches and in each of their last four away league games, a sequence that has left them four points off the top six despite pockets of resilience in attack.
Defensive frailties have also come with an alarming pattern of late damage: Everton have shipped a result-altering goal in the 90th minute or later in each of their last three games. At the same time, Thierno Barry scored twice off the bench against Manchester City and is being considered to replace Beto up front, a selection that would lean into Everton’s recent tendency to change games late.
Injuries complicate Everton’s planning. Idrissa Gueye did not play against Manchester City because of a slight knock, he has yet to resume training, and he is expected to miss Sunday’s game. Jack Grealish is recovering from a serious foot injury and is also expected to miss the trip to Selhurst Park. Jarrad Branthwaite is out with a hamstring injury. Those absences strip Everton of midfield and defensive options and amplify the importance of form players like Barry.
There is a practical tension running through the fixture. Palace look impregnable at home and can end the relegation discussion in one result, yet Everton have beaten Palace in each of their last three meetings, all by a 2-1 scoreline. Both lines of form tell part of the truth: Palace’s home defence has been stout, but Everton have recent success against them and still pose a threat when their attack finds rhythm.
Sunday’s game will resolve the clearest immediate question left on Palace’s season: win, and safety is secured; fail to win, and the club returns to a three-game window where points will still be required. For Everton, the match will expose whether their late-game scoring and recent flashes of attacking potency can overcome a run of matches in which they have repeatedly conceded multiple goals and late blow-ups. The selection of Barry up front, and the enforced absences of Gueye, Grealish and Branthwaite, could well decide which narrative wins at Selhurst Park.
