Tottenham Hotspur FC
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace
Tottenham looking for three league wins in a row against a solid Crystal Palace side unbeaten in four
Tottenham to win 2-1
Few teams have experienced ups and downs like Tottenham have this season, having topped the league for several weeks before taking a tumble into mid table.
Recently however, Jose Mourinho’s men have found some form, albeit against the likes of Burnley and Fulham, two teams hardly competing at the top end of the table.
Gareth Bale has been impressive, both domestically and in European games, and if the front three of Kane, Son and Bale can stay fit and firing for the rest of the season, there is a chance of a good end to the campaign.
Crystal Palace earned a welcome point against Manchester United in midweek, meaning that they are now three games unbeaten and have taken five points over that period.
Even in 13th, they cannot yet be certain of survival, but with 11 points between them and the relegation places, you’d think they’d be safe.
Form Guide (all comps): WLWWW
Reasons to be cheerful:
Four wins from five in all competitions
Unbeaten in 11 matches against Crystal Palace
Reasons to be fearful:
Spurs have dropped points in seven of their 13 league matches this season
33 of their 42 goals have been scored or assisted by Kane or Son, showing lack of depth
With just five points between Spurs and the top four, Jose Mourinho may yet have something to say about clinching a Champions League place this season, with 12 matches remaining.
A consistent run of form could shoot the North London side back into contention, with all the teams above them fighting for those spots short of conviction right now.
Here, they have a real shot of making it three wins out of three in the league, with Crystal Palace likely to be safe after their midweek draw with Manchester United.
Mourinho has hinted at making one or two changes for this game, with a gruelling run of fixtures coming up, including Arsenal next weekend as well as a two-legged Europa League tie.
Star Man – Harry Kane
Spurs’ joint top scorer this season only has two goals in his last six appearances, but will be crucial to firing Spurs to a Champions League finish this season.
Form Guide (all comps): LLWDD
Reasons to be cheerful:
34 points is their highest tally at this stage since 1992
Will be confident of staying up now
Reasons to be fearful:
Have scored just five goals in their last seven games
Terrible record against Spurs
Roy Hodgson will be hoping to end his dreadful record against Tottenham this weekend, one which has seen him win just one of his 18 matches against the North London club in his managerial career.
It’s a poor record for Crystal Palace to overcome too, having not beaten them in the Premier League era.
While those are not encouraging statistics, Palace will take confidence from looking at the table to see that they are in 13th, 11 points ahead of relegation and enjoying their best season at this stage in almost 20 years.
The Eagles will welcome back Wilf Zaha after missing five games with a hamstring injury. In the end, they coped rather well without him, collecting five points from those games, though it’ll be a huge boost to have him back.
Star Man – Wilf Zaha
A player who has flirted with joining Spurs before, he will return and give his side a massive lift. He is their top scorer and best attacking talent.
Spurs should edge possession
Kane or Son likely to score
Palace can create chances of their own
Although Mourinho has promised changes here, it’s likely he will opt for the front three of Kane, Son and Bale, who have all performed well lately.
If they are given licence to play with freedom, it could be another win for Spurs. They’re favourites to claim three points here, but they’ll be made to work for it.
Tottenham to win 2-1
