EVERTON boss Frank Lampard thinks Palace deserve "respect" for the quality of the team.

Palace face the Toffees on Thursday evening and will be hoping to continue to push for a spot in the top half of the Premier League table.

The Eagles are currently 13th in the table, three points behind Leicester City in 9th, but have a game in hand on three of the sides ahead of them.

This Is Local London: Everton has struggled to perform this seasonEverton has struggled to perform this season

Everton however, are still looking nervously over their shoulders at the relegation spots of which they are only two points clear of in 16th place.

The Toffees were beaten by Brentford 3-2 on Sunday, a loss that was made worse after they had Salomon Rondon and Jarrad Branthwaite sent off.

Lampard's team will almost confirm their spot in the Premier League next season should they beat Palace, but he is wary of the quality in Patrick Vieira's team.

Lampard said: “You respect a team of great quality in Palace.

“They don’t have much to play for, certainly not like us, and they can perform even better [given freedom of pressure], but you have to analyse them as they are.

“If we focus and approach the game as we did [against Brentford], we will give ourselves a very good chance.”

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