Crystal Palace will host Tottenham Hotspur at Selhurst Park on Sunday, desperately looking to pick up their first win of the season.
Crystal Palace are on a losing streak, and they will need to raise their performance levels to grind out of victory when they welcome Tottenham Hotspur to Selhurst Park on Sunday afternoon.
On the other hand, Tottenham are coming into this game on the back of five wins from the last six matches in all competitions. Spurs will be reasonably confident of grinding out a good result here. They will be desperate to finish in the top four and win a trophy this season. They must win these games to secure Champions League qualification.
Tottenham have won their last five matches against Crystal Palace in all competitions, and they should be able to get the job done here as well. The home team are currently struggling, and they are completely devoid of form and confidence. Tottenham should be able to pile further misery on them.
Team News & Tactics
Crystal Palace
The Eagles will be without Chadi Riad due to a knee injury. Chris Richards is out with a thigh injury, Cheick Doucoure has an ankle issue, Matheus Franca is out with a groin injury, and Rob Holding is indefinitely unavailable.
Crystal Palace will shape up in a 3-4-1-2 formation against Tottenham Hotspur, and Dean Henderson will start in goal for Crystal Palace. In the back three, Trevoh Chalobah will start alongside Maxence Lacroix and Marc Guehi.
Daniel Munoz and Tyrick Mitchell will start as the wing-backs. They will look to keep things tight at the back and hit Spurs on the counter. Adam Wharton and Daichi Kamada will add defensive cover and creativity to the side in the middle of the park. Eberechi Eze will add creativity and goals to the side from the central areas. Jean-Philippe Mateta will lead the line for the Eagles alongside Eddie Nketiah.
Probable Lineup (3-4-1-2): Henderson; Chalobah, Guehi, Lacroix; Munoz, Wharton, Kamada, Mitchell; Eze; Mateta, Nketiah
Tottenham Hotspur
Djed Spence is unavailable because of a groin injury here, while Son Heung-min misses out with a thigh injury. Tottenham Hotspur are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Guglielmo Vicario in goal.
Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie will start as the full-backs, and they will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch. Cristian Romero will start alongside Micky van de Ven at the heart of the defence.
Yves Bissouma is likely to start alongside Pape Matar Sarr in the midfield pivot. The two players will look to protect the back four and break up opposition attacks. James Maddison will start in the central attacking midfield role, and he will look to create chances for his side in the final third with his passing and vision.
Dejan Kulusevski and Wilson Odobert will start in the wide areas, and they will look to add pace and flair to the side. Dominic Solanke will lead the line for Tottenham Hotpsur against Crystal Palace.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Vicario; Porro, Romero, van de Ven, Udogie; Bissouma, Sarr; Kulusevski, Maddison, Odobert; Solanke
Key Stats
- Tottenham have won their last five matches against Crystal Palace in all competitions.
- 18 goals have been scored in the last six matches between the two sides.
- Tottenham are unbeaten in five of their last six matches in all competitions.
- Crystal Palace are winless in five of their last six matches in all competitions.
- Crystal Palace have failed to score against Tottenham in three of the last five meetings.
Player to Watch
Dejan Kulusevski
The Tottenham attacking midfielder is our key player to watch out for. He has been a revelation for the North London club ever since his change of position. Kulusevski has helped create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates from the central areas, and his technical ability and vision will be crucial for the away side as they look to break down the home team. The Swedish international will look to add goals and creativity in the final third.
Prediction
Crystal Palace 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur
Crystal Palace will look to bounce back strongly and pick up their first win of the season. They will look to make life difficult for the away side, but Tottenham are in better form and they have the confidence and momentum with them.
The North London club will look to grind out a positive result away from home. This is likely to be a close contest, but the visitors have enough quality to find a way past the Crystal Palace resistance. An away win is on the cards here. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Ange Postecoglou and his charges.