Crystal Palace will host West Ham United at Selhurst Park on Saturday, looking to bounce back from the disappointing defeat against Brentford in their season opener.
West Ham United were beaten at home by Aston Villa last weekend, and Julen Lopetegui will look to pick up his first win as the East London club’s manager when they lock horns with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Saturday afternoon.
Both teams will fancy their chances against each other, and it will be interesting to see who comes out on top. Crystal Palace have done quite well against West Ham in recent seasons, and they are unbeaten in five of the last six meetings against the Hammers.
It will be interesting to see if the Eagles can produce another quality performance here and grind out all three points. Meanwhile, West Ham have been very active in the transfer market, and they will look to secure European qualification. They cannot afford to drop points in these matches if they want to finish high up the table.
Team News & Tactics
Crystal Palace
The Eagles will be without Matheus Franca because of abdominal injury. Other than that, Crystal Palace have a fully fit squad to choose from ahead of the visit of West Ham United this weekend.
Dean Henderson will start in goal for the home team. In the back three, Chris Richards will start alongside Jefferson Lerma and Marc Guehi, with Joachim Andersen on his way to Fulham. Daniel Munoz and Tyrick Mitchell will be deployed as the wing-backs. They will look to help out at both ends of the pitch.
Adam Wharton and Cheick Doucoure will add defensive cover and drive to the side in the middle of the park. Daichi Kamada and Eberechi Eze will add technical ability, creativity and goals to the side in the final third. Jean-Philippe Mateta will lead the line for the Eagles.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Henderson; Richards, Lerma, Guehi; Munoz, Wharton, Doucoure, Mitchell; Kamada, Eze; Mateta
West Ham
The Hammers will be without Edson Alvarez because of a thigh injury. West Ham United are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Crystal Palace on Saturday, with Alphonse Areola in goal.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Emerson Palmieri will start as the full-backs. They will look to keep things compact defensively and help out during counter-attacking situations. Max Kilman will start alongside Jean-Clair Todibo at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Guido Rodriguez will start alongside Tomas Soucek in the double pivot. They will look to add physicality and defensive steel to the side. Mohammed Kudus will start in the central attacking midfield role, and he will look to create goal scoring opportunities and get on the score sheet himself.
The Ghanaian international will look to link up with striker Niclas Fullkrug in the final third. Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta will start in the wide areas. They will look to add creativity and goals from the flanks.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Areola; Wan-Bissaka, Kilman, Todibo, Emerson; Rodriguez, Soucek; Bowen, Kudus, Paqueta; Fullkrug
Key Stats
- 28 goals have been scored in the last six meetings between Crystal Palace and West Ham United.
- Crystal Palace have scored at least two goals in their last 6 home matches against West Ham in all competitions.
- Crystal Palace have won four and drawn one of their last six matches against West Ham United.
- Both teams have scored in each of the last six matches between these two sides.
- There have been over 2.5 goals scored in West Ham’s last six games in the Premier League.
Player to Watch
Adam Wharton
Crystal Palace will look to pick up all three points here, and they need to dominate the midfield contest for that to happen. Wharton has been excellent since joining the Eagles, and he will look to protect the side defensively and control the tempo of the game from the deep. If he can dominate the game from the middle of the park, Crystal Palace will certainly be the favourites against West Ham.
Prediction
Crystal Palace 1-1 West Ham United
Both teams are quite evenly matched, and this is likely to be a close contest. Crystal Palace will certainly fancy their chances against West Ham United at home, although the Hammers have a quality squad.
After the disappointing defeat against Aston Villa, the away side will be desperate to bounce back strongly. This is likely to be an evenly matched affair, and the two sides are likely to cancel each other out. The Hard Tackle predicts a 1-1 draw between Crystal Palace and West Ham United.
