After securing their first point of the New Year Crystal Palace will be looking to take another positive step with a match against Watford at Selhurst Park.
It was a fortunate point in some ways for the Eagles who really only had a good 5-10 minutes in the entire game last weekend. Swansea were just not as clinical as they should have been towards the end of the game, creating chances they could not convert and allowing Palace to escape with a point.
Watford had a tough road trip last week to Tottenham which resulted in a 1-0 loss. They were completely dominated with the hosts recording 25 shots with eight on target, compared to Watford’s three shots with none of them hitting the target.
Given that both sides have been really struggling recently, they will be looking to try and turn that around tonight.
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Key Battle – Wilfried Zaha vs Watford Full Backs
Since the turn of the year Wifried Zaha has been building on some good form that saw him pick up Crystal Palace’s player of the month honour. In the absence of Yannick Bolasie, who has been missing since picking up an injury in their last win against Stoke mid-way through December, Zaha has really had to step up to provide the speed and to generate a threat out wide.
Watford will need to be alert to the danger the winger possesses and if he starts to get the better of the fullbacks they will need to provide extra support, as in the last few games he has made passes that have either directly or indirectly sliced the defence with his speed and strength.
Team News
Crystal Palace have the luxury of naming an unchanged side, with players like Bolasie and James McArthur still not ready for return. This is good news for Mile Jedinak who has been solid in the last few games, which should help him to secure a permanent starting place. Coming into the lineup against Swansea, Emmanuel Adebayor looked like there can be some real promise once he has come up to full match fitness.
Watford are also in the fortunate position of being able to potentially an unchanged team, with only Miguel Britos doubtful for the game with a thigh injury.
Head-to-Head
Taking into account clashes in the Championship, Crystal Palace have a slight advantage in the 34 previous encounters, with 15 wins compared to Watford’s 11 and eight games ending in draws.
Previous Meeting
The encounter between the two sides earlier this year was also their first meeting at the Premier League level, with Yohan Cabaye scoring the winner through a penalty, in a game that feature eight yellow cards.
Prediction
The history of the clash shows a one or two goal average when the two sides meet and given that both have been poor in recent weeks, this points towards a one goal game and Palace fans will be hoping it is Adebayor who scores the winner, with strikers still only having scored one goal in the Premier League this season.
Crystal Palace 1 Watford 0
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