Deulofeu gearing up for Toffees’ Friday football

Friday night football is a venture still dividing opinion across the country, but Everton’s Gerard Deulofeu is looking to get his weekend underway on a memorable note.

The Toffees face Crystal Palace at Goodison Park on Friday evening, their first taste of a new experience which has already seen city rivals Liverpool take three points from Chelsea.

Southampton and Manchester United have also taken to the field before the rest of the weekend’s action so far this term, while the Red Devils’ trip to Aston Villa was the only game to feature on the day last season.

But for Deulofeu, this comes as the perfect chance to put last week’s defeat to Bournemouth behind Ronald Koeman’s side, a first league loss after four successive victories.

(Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

“It’s a different day for us, it’s not normal to play on a Friday but it’s a good chance to put on a good performance and get a win for the Toffees to enjoy,” said the winger.

“It’s a good opportunity for us to take three points because we are coming into the game on the back of a loss to Bournemouth.

“We’re happy to be playing at home and we’re looking to win to make sure we go into the international break with 16 points from a possible 21.”

The 22-year-old has had a slow start to the season, coming on as a substitute in the last three Premier League matches having played from the outset against Tottenham Hotspur and West Brom.

But the Spaniard insists a lack of playing time is not something of concern.

He added: “I’m happy, it’s a long season. I need to train every day, work hard and I need to take my opportunities.

“The most important thing for me is scoring and providing assists for the team and hopefully I can do that.”