Palace plan late flight to avoid fireworks

CRYSTAL PALACE are seriously considering flying to Merseyside hours before tomorrow’s clash with Everton to avoid being woken by fireworks were they to stay over in Liverpool. The south London club have made two plans amid concerns the team’s sleep will be interrupted by Everton fans in the middle of the night. Sportsmail revealed on Monday that the Eagles were looking into a last-minute hotel change to a secret location away from Merseyside, after Chelsea and Brentford had their preparations for fixtures at Everton earlier this month disrupted by fireworks exploding outside the team hotel. It is understood that Palace have been exploring accommodation options in the Manchester area. However, following further internal discussions, flying out on the day of the game is now emerging as an option. Ideally, Palace would prefer to fly later in the day to arrive on Merseyside in the late afternoon before heading to a temporary base at around 5pm, minimising the possibility of having their preparations disrupted ahead of the 7.45pm kick-off. But the club have also organised the option of flying in the morning if the afternoon weather forecast is not favourable. Away teams generally stay in the vicinity of their opposition’s stadium 24 hours before matches. But while flying on the day of a fixture appears to be problematic preparation for a Premier League game, Palace are confident it won’t impact on their players’ performance. As it stands, flying out tomorrow afternoon appears to be the most likely option for Patrick Vieira’s side.