Crystal Palace will be eager to kick-start the Oliver Glasner era on a positive note when they host Burnley at Selhurst Park on Saturday.
The 2023/24 Premier League season will continue with Gameweek 26. The latest round of fixtures gets underway with four simultaneous fixtures, one of which will have Crystal Palace welcoming Burnley to Selhurst Park.
Crystal Palace would have hoped to clinch a lower mid-table finish this term after ending the 2022/23 season strongly under the tutelage of Roy Hodgson. But the veteran manager could not help his team take the next step, and they have been mired in the relegation dogfight thus far. So, after struggling all campaign, Hodgson tendered his resignation a few days ago, with Oliver Glasner replacing him at the helm at Selhurst Park.
As for Burnley, they have been second from bottom in the Premier League for much of the 2023/24 season. The Clarets are level with 20th-placed Sheffield United, seven points adrift of safety. Vincent Kompany’s men are currently on an eight-game winless run, with their last victory coming exactly two months ago. With things going from bad to worse, Kompany will be eager to oversee a turnaround in fortunes as soon as possible.
The reverse fixture saw Crystal Palace clinching a 2-0 win over Burnley at Turf Moor, with Jeffrey Schlupp and Tyrick Mitchell finding the back of the net. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Crystal Palace
Oliver Glasner does not have any new fitness concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against Burnley on Saturday, the Crystal Palace manager will likely be bereft of the services of seven first-team players.
Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise are the most notable absentees, with the duo recovering from their respective hamstring issues. Glasner is also sweating over the fitness of Marc Guehi, whose knee has been bothering him for some time.
Guehi faces a late fitness test to determine his availability, although Glasner might not take a chance with him. Meanwhile, Rob Holding (ankle), Jesurun Rak-Sakyi (hamstring), Will Hughes (ankle), and Cheick Doucoure (Achilles) remain on the sidelines.
Sam Johnstone will take his spot between the sticks, with Crystal Palace lining up in a 3-4-2-1 formation in front of him against Burnley. The backline should feature Joel Ward, Chris Richards, and Joachim Andersen.
As for the midfield unit, the onus will be on Adam Wharton and Jefferson Lerma to keep things tight in the middle of the park and initiate quick transitions. Daniel Munoz and Tyrick Mitchell should be the two wing-backs, with Jordan Ayew, Odsonne Edouard, and Jean-Philippe Mateta completing the numbers in the final third.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Johnstone; Ward, Richards, Andersen; Munoz, Wharton, Lerma, Mitchell; Ayew, Edouard; Mateta
Burnley
Unlike his counterpart in the Crystal Palace dugout, Vincent Kompany has a new issue to deal with ahead of the trip to Selhurst Park. The Burnley manager will be without five first-team players on Saturday.
Aaron Ramsey picked up a season-ending knee injury last weekend against Arsenal. The young midfielder has joined Jordan Beyer (hamstring), Luca Koleosho (knee), Nathan Redmond (thigh), and Lyle Foster (surgery) in the treatment room.
Burnley will line up in a 4-4-2 formation against Crystal Palace, with James Trafford taking his spot between the sticks. The backline should feature Lorenz Assignon, Dara O’Shea, Maxime Esteve, and Charlie Taylor.
As for the midfield unit, Sander Berge and Josh Brownhill will look to shore up things in the middle of the park. Albert Gudmundsson and Wilson Odobert should be the two wide attackers, with Zeki Amdouni and David Datro Fofana being the two strikers for the away side.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Trafford; Assignon, O’Shea, Esteve, Taylor; Gudmundsson, Berge, Brownhill, Odobert; Amdouni, Fofana
Key Stats
- There have been 15 Premier League matches between Crystal Palace and Burnley, with each team winning six. The Eagles have outscored their opponent 19-18. The Clarets’ six Premier League wins over Crystal Palace is their highest tally against any side after Everton (7).
- Crystal Palace have lost just one of their last ten Premier League home games against promoted sides, a 3-0 defeat to Fulham last season. The Eagles have won three of four such games this season.
- Burnley have 13 points after 25 matches. The fewest points a team has had at this stage of a Premier League season and avoided relegation is 17 by West Bromwich Albion (2004/05) and Leicester (2014/15).
- Crystal Palace last kept a clean sheet on November 4 against Burnley, going 14 matches without a shut-out since then.
- Burnley have conceded the second-most goals from set pieces in the Premier League this season (13), with only Nottingham Forest (15) letting in more.
Player to Watch
Adam Wharton
With Crystal Palace still missing Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise, the onus will be on Adam Wharton to keep things tight in the middle of the park to build the base of a strong debut for Oliver Glasner as the South London club’s manager.
Jordan Ayew, Odsonne Edouard, and Jean-Philippe Mateta have not been productive performers for Crystal Palace. So, a solid midfield showing will hold the key for the home side to overcome Burnley this weekend.
Prediction
Crystal Palace 2-1 Burnley
A new system beckons Crystal Palace, with Oliver Glasner propagating the back-three setup. That should ideally pave the way for a more solid performance. In addition, the “new manager bounce” should be in effect on Saturday, compelling players like Odsonne Edouard and Jean-Philippe Mateta to step up.
But Burnley will not go down without a fight, extending the Eagles’ run of games without a clean sheet. Expect the away side to push Crystal Palace throughout the 90 minutes before the hosts come away with all three points. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Oliver Glasner and his charges.
