Crystal Palace will be looking to secure their first win at home this season when they face off against Aston Villa at Selhurst Park on Saturday.
The fixture sees both teams looking to get their second win of the season after securing first up wins but second round defeats in the opening fortnight of Premier League football.
Palace showed some real promise last time out against Arsenal but eventually fell to a 2-1 loss after a Damien Delaney own goal. Despite the result they were strong in defence and another similar performance will put them in a good position against Aston Villa.
Villa are also heading into this game off the back of a loss falling at home to Manchester United 1-0 after Belgian youngster, Adnan Januzaj scored in the 29th minute. However, they can take some comfort from the fact that they were expected to face a heavy defeat at the hands of the Red Devils but were defensively stout only allowing one goal to be scored against them.
This is the type of game that Palace must win in order to improve from last year’s 10th placed finish.
Key Battle – Yannick Bolasie vs Micah Richards
Yannick Bolasie was key to much of the great play that the Eagles were able to put together against Arsenal. He provided speed to Palace’s play which proved difficult to deal with for the Arsenal defence. Micah Richards, who will most likely be playing at right back, will be tasked with dealing with the threat of Bolasie down the wing.
It will be another chance for Richards to show his worth in taking on challengers after dealing well with the threat of Wayne Rooney last time out. Coach, Tim Sherwood has said that Richards has the ability to push for England selection and another good performance will put him in the fold for national duties.
Team News
After a really great team performance from Crystal Palace, Alan Pardew has another easy week in terms of selection. There is a potential question mark over Joel Ward at right back after arguably being at fault for both goals that they conceded however he did score to bring them level. There is also the potential for Marouane Chamakh to make a return from the bench after coming back from a hamstring injury but they may choose not to rush him back with Connor Wickham an ample replacement.
Crystal Palace Expected XI (4-5-1): McCarthy (GK); Ward, Delaney, Dann, Souare; McArthur, Bolasie, Puncheon, Zaha, Cabaye; Wickham.
The same could be said for Villa. The team really stood up and took on the challenge that United threw at them over the entire 90 minutes. It would be hard to imagine Sherwood changing the side for this game because they were strong in defence against a potent Red Devils outfit. The only possible change will be Jack Grealish who is available for selection after overcoming a hamstring injury however if selected will most likely start on the bench. New striker, Rudy Gestede could feature from the bench.
Aston Villa Expected XI (4-3-3): Guzan (GK); Clark, Bacuna, Amavi, Richards; Westwood, Gueye, Veretout; Ayew, Sinclair, Agbonlahor.
Head-to-Head
The history of this clash is fairly even between the two sides. In the 24 matches Villa hold a slight lead with nine wins compared to seven for Palace with eight draws.
Previous Meeting
The most recent clash between the two sides ended in a 0-0 draw on New Year’s Day last season at Villa Park, during a period where the Claret and Blue look destined for relegation.
Prediction
It is hard to see which way this one will go and hence, should result in a really close game. The determining factor in this game could well come down to the involvement of the home crowd at Selhurst. If they are really vocal that could well help Palace get the win over the Villains.
Crystal Palace 1 – Aston Villa 0
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