Newcastle United welcome Crystal Palace to St James Park this Saturday, in a match that will see Alan Pardew return to Tyneside for the first time since he controversially left the Magpies last January.
Hosts Newcastle have breathed new life into their relegation fight. Five points from their last three matches including an impressive comeback at Anfield last weekend means the Magpies are only one point adrift of safety.
However, there is no time for Rafa Benitez’s men to admire their improvement, with a massive final three matches in store, starting with this clash with Crystal Palace.
Palace’s initial fears of being involved in a relegation battle have since been allayed, but a key win against Norwich and a draw at Arsenal means that only a remarkable collapse could see the South London side go down. They also have an FA Cup Final to look forward to against Manchester United next month, after defeating Watford in the semi final stage of the competition.
Key battle – Cheick Tiote vs Yohan Cabaye
After being out in the cold for a large majority of the season, Cheick Tiote has worked his way back into the team in recent weeks and has added much needed stability in what was a struggling midfield. Yohan Cabaye was a main factor why Palace were in the top half of the table during the first half of the season, and while his form has somewhat dropped in 2016, he is still a key part of Alan Pardew’s side. These two formed a strong partnership as teammates when Newcastle finished 5th in 2011-12, and whoever asserts their authority on the pitch to a greater extent on Saturday may determine the outcome.
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Team news
Tim Krul, Rob Elliot, Fabricio Coloccini, Steven Taylor, Daryl Janmaat and Massadio Haidara will once again miss out, while Rafa Benitez is likely to name the same team that fought back to get a draw at Liverpool last weekend.
For the visitors, Kwesi Appiah and Marouane Chamakh are ruled out, while Brede Hangeland is a doubt he is unlikely to be risked as the Eagles prepare for the FA Cup final. Other than that, Pardew has a full squad to choose from.
Expected line-ups
Newcastle United (4-2-3-1): Darlow; Anita, Mbemba, Lascelles, Dummett; Tiote, Colback; Townsend, Sissoko, Perez; Cisse.
Crystal Palace (4-2-3-1): Hennessey; Ward, Dann, Delaney, Souare; Jedinak, Cabaye; Zaha, Puncheon, Bolasie; Wickham.
Head-to-head
The Magpies are vastly superior in the head-to-head history between these two sides, winning 23 matches to nine either side of six draws. The Eagles also have not won at St James Park since March 1998.
Previous meeting
When these teams met in November, Palace were comfortably in the top half and this showed courtesy of a 5-1 win. An early strike from Papiss Cisse put the Geordies ahead, but that was as good as it got as they would soon be 3-1 down at half time after goals from James McArthur, Yannick Bolasie and Wilfried Zaha. The hosts would go on to score another two in the second period with Bolasie and McArthur adding to the rout.
Did you miss @Carra23 talking about the Benitez effect at #nufc on Sky last night? It was brilliant. Here it is: https://t.co/JMgigGGCe2
— The Chronicle (@ChronicleNUFC) April 26, 2016
Prediction
Every match is a must win for Newcastle, and after encouraging results in their last three matches, expect the hosts to make a fast start and to be roared on by a rocking St James Park. Palace are all but safe and may already have one eye on the cup final, but Alan Pardew would still be relishing the opportunity to push his former club to the Championship. A tight match awaits, but Newcastle are in form, have more to play for, and are at home which means they should have what it takes to secure a vital three points.
Newcastle United 2 Crystal Palace 1
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