Crystal Palace will be looking to continue their unbeaten run in November when they welcome Sunderland to Selhurst Park on Monday night.
In their last game before the international break, the Eagles were able to secure a 2-1 win away from home against Liverpool thanks to goals from Yannick Bolasie and Scott Dann, complimented by a great performance from Wilfried Zaha.
Sunderland find themselves struggling yet again this season, sitting in 19th position with only one win next to their name. Although this came in the important Tyne Wear Derby against rivals Newcastle in October, this is something that is unlikely to change this week due to the form that Palace are in. One good thing that the Black Cats may be able to take out of the last match against Southampton is that the defence saved the team from conceding more than once and that will again be key to staying in the game this weekend.
Key Battle – Crystal Palace wingers vs Sunderland fullbacks
Most, if not all of Palace’s success has come through the hard work of Bolasie and Zaha on the wing, often the measure to see how well the team are going. If they struggle to impose like they were before the previous international break, they tend to have difficulty breaking into the final third.
This is why the Sunderland defence have to be so careful with how they deal with the threat that they pose. In the last two matches for Crystal Palace, against Liverpool and Manchester United, they were able to get around the fullbacks and set up opportunities for those waiting in the box. Given that those teams have better defenders playing that role, it points to a very tough game for the Black Cats, if both Zaha and Bolasie continue the good form that they had before the break.
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Team News
Crystal Palace were able to avoid their players picking up any injuries during the international break and given that Dwight Gayle is still a week or two away from a return from a hamstring injury, Alan Pardew should name an unchanged lineup from the last game.
Sunderland are in a similar position to the Eagles with no new injuries or suspensions, however, they may be able to welcome back Lee Cattermole from a groin injury.
Head-to-head
In the previous 23 meetings between the two sides Sunderland holds a slight advantage with 10 wins compared to the Eagles’ nine, with four games ending in draws.
Previous Meetings
Yannick Bolasie netted a hat-trick that saw the Eagles run out 4-1 winners at the Stadium of Light last season, with the only goal scored by the home team coming through Connor Wickham, who now finds himself on playing for the opposition.
Prediction
Given the performance of the Eagles and the distance between the two sides on the table it is hard to see anything other an easy Palace win although their home record this season is three wins from six games there is the potential to take this game too easily and slip up.
Crystal Palace 3 Sunderland 1
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