Crystal Palace
Newcastle United
Newcastle United
Palace and Newcastle aiming to bounce back after poor defeats last weekend
Crystal Palace 1-1 Newcastle
Crystal Palace and Newcastle both put in below par performances in their last round of fixtures, once again proving that this is one of the most inconsistent seasons we’ve even seen in the Premier League.
Palace gave Burnley their first win of the season, with Roy Hodgson’s side now losing two of their previous five league matches and slipping to 11th place – a respectable position, but not the improvement they are looking for.
Newcastle were as poor as they have been all season against Chelsea. It was not just the 2-0 scoreline that angered their supporters, but rather their overly negative attitude towards the match which saw their manager bench some of his best players, almost conceding defeat from the outset.
The Magpies still sit seven points ahead of the relegation zone, and should be comfortable across the full season, though they will hope to pick up points with more consistency soon.
Both sides need a win here to bounce back quickly.
Form Guide (all comps): DWLWL
Reasons to be cheerful:
Only lost one of last five home games
Their opponents struggle to create chances
Reasons to be fearful:
Zaha likely to miss out with Covid-19 test
Unable to find any consistency
Crystal Palace’s inconsistencies are as stark as any other team in the league.
One match, they look fantastic in attack, taking apart teams while also keeping things tight at the back. On other occasions, they simply lack the imagination to create chances.
Burnley were always going to win a match at some stage, but Palace will be disappointed that they couldn’t mount more of a challenge to them last weekend.
The absence of Wilf Zaha due to a positive coronavirus test did not help matters, and they will likely have to do without him again this weekend.
They have shown they have others to take on the goalscoring pressure, but can they do it regularly? The acquisition of Michy Batshuayi seems a poor one – the Belgian hasn’t scored yet in seven appearances.
Star Man – Eberechi Eze
His manager will hope that the versatile attacker can fill the hole left by Zaha this weekend
Form Guide (all comps): LDWLL
Reasons to be cheerful
Callum Wilson is likely to return after hamstring issue
Upcoming run of fixtures is much kinder
Reasons to be fearful
Fewest shots in the league
May have to do without Lascelles at the back
Although Newcastle were never odds on to beat Chelsea last weekend, their negative attitude in these sorts of matches means that they are often beaten before they’ve kicked a ball.
They managed a solitary attempt on goal and indeed have the lowest number of shots on goal this season across the whole Premier League.
The Magpies will hope that Callum Wilson is fit to return up front, with his side without a goal in their past two matches – in fact, he’s scored three times the number of goals as any other teammate.
Perhaps they will be more adventurous against a Palace side that is not in great form either, though Palace are much better at home than away.
They may have to do without Jamaal Lascelles at the back, after the defender limped off against Chelsea last week.
Star Man – Callum Wilson
Newcastle fans must hope that the likes of Wilson and Saint-Maximin can combine well in front of goal
Will be an even contest
Both sides could struggle to create chances
Newcastle have the better striker, but Palace the better team
This one could just end up being a draw.
We have not had too many of those so far this season, but these two sides are searching desperately for consistency, something which has proved hard to find so far.
In Callum Wilson, Newcastle have the better striker, though Palace have shown that many of their attackers can chip in with goals and you’d expect them to be stronger at the back too.
It could be that they settle for a point and move on.
Crystal Palace 1-1 Newcastle
