Crystal Palace will aim to bounce back from a disappointing defeat at the weekend as they travel to Lancashire to take on a struggling Burnley.
Scott Parker has come under some pressure following a run of four straight defeats, which has seen his Burnley side drop into the relegation zone ahead of the game against Crystal Palace. The Clarets are currently 19th on the Preimer League table, and their form suggests they could be the next favourite contender to suffer the drop alongside Wolves in that regard.
Since beating fellow relegation strugglers Wolves away from home, Burnley have lost games to Arsenal, West Ham United, Chelsea, and Brentford. The Gunners and the Blues played the Clarets on home soil, which allows Parker some leeway, while suffering losses in the other two away.
The latest of that run came against Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium, which has been a miss for many of the “Big Six” sides, let alone Burnley. Hence, Parker may not be in any immediate danger of losing his job, but the home game against Crystal Palace should be taken seriously to avoid any unwanted talk.
Meanwhile, Oliver Glasner was unhappy at how the game against Manchester United panned out, as he was not satisfied with the performance of his players or the officials. The controversial winner from Manchester United did not please the Austrian boss, as there was a claim that the referee blew the whistle too soon for the free-kick from which Mason Mount scored.
Crystal Palace looked set to secure another big victory at Selhurst Park, as they dominated Manchester United in the first half. However, they came out in the second period and displayed a familiar theme that has seen them perform badly in a weekend fixture after a European encounter in midweek.
A timid second-half display cost Glasner’s side the points, something the Austrian is keen to make amends for. With the next clash away from home against a struggling Burnley side, Crystal Palace could put things right and continue on their quest to challenge for a European place for next season.
Team News & Tactics
Burnley
There are no changes for Scott Parker on the injury front as Zeki Amdouni, Jordan Beyer, and Connor Roberts are sidelined with injury issues. The Burnley boss could drop Hannibal Mejbri to the bench after an uninspiring performance against Brentford, which was probably a chance for the former Manchester United prospect to perform, and he probably missed the opportunity.
Lesley Ugochukwu is the likely option to replace Mejbri in the Burnley lineup, but Parker is likely to name a familiar setup for the Crystal Palace game. Axel Tuanzebe and Maxime Esteve are expected to keep their places at the heart of the defence, with Kyle Walker and Quilindschy Hartman in the full-back roles.
Florentino Luis and Josh Cullen are the primary midfielders for Parker as things stand, with Ugochukwu in the advanced role. Loum Tchaouna and Lyle Forster could be selected ahead of the others in the wide roles, with joint top scorer Zian Flemming leading the line.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Dubravka; Walker, Tuanzebe, Esteve, Hartman; Florentino, Cullen; Tchaouna, Ugochukwu, Foster; Flemming
Crystal Palace
Oliver Glasner has two fresh injury concerns with the manager confirming the absence of full-back Borna Sosa and Ismaila Sarr. The latter was withdrawn against Manchester United in the first half, but the Austrian manager had suggested he would be fit in time for Senegal’s AFCON campaign.
Hence, Sarr will miss out on the trip to Burnley, which begs the question about his replacement. Eddie Nketiah replaced him at the weekend, and could well be the solution once more, as the former Arsenal star will pair alongside Yeremy Pino and behind striker Jean-Philippe Mateta on Wednesday.
Beyond that, Glasner is unlikely to make any changes to his setup, as he will continue to keep faith in his three starting central defenders as well as midfielders.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Henderson; Richards, Lacroix, Guehi; Munoz, Wharton, Kamada, Mitchell; Nketiah, Pino; Mateta
Key Stats
- Burnley have lost their last four matches in the Premier League.
- Burnley have conceded at least two goals in their last five matches in the Premier League.
- Crystal Palace have lost back-to-back Premier League games only once in 2025 under Oliver Glasner.
- Only Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham have earned more away points this season than Crystal Palace in the Premier League.
- Crystal Palace kept only one clean sheet in their first 12 away Premier League matches under Oliver Glasner. However, they have since kept ten clean sheets in 19 matches on the road, the most of any side since the start of December 2024.
Player to Watch
Jean-Philippe Mateta
Mateta was the subject of a controversial penalty call last weekend, and in the days after, reports are stating he could consider his time at Crystal Palace in the summer. However, this is one of the in-form strikers in Europe, and the Frenchman has plenty to do this season for Palace Crystal and personally, as a big call-up to the French World Cup squad awaits.
Mateta has been extremely crucial to how Palace have succeeded under Glasner, and the Crystal Palace manager may not want a slip-up in his performances ahead of the trip to Burnley. Hence, Wednesday’s game is extremely crucial for Mateta and his reputation, as he will be the man in focus on the pitch.
Prediction
Burnley 1-3 Crystal Palace
Burnley are not in the right vein of form to bring about any confidence of beating the reigning FA Cup holders at Turf Moor. However, Scott Parker’s side have played a way of football that brings about some level of unpredictability, which might trouble Crystal Palace.
Crystal Palace are eager to build momentum, and they will want to secure a win against a relegation-threatened side like Burnley. Glasner will want his players in full flow, and on paper, the Eagles are the overwhelming favourites to collect the three points away at Burnley.
