Palace here with the Clarets looking up

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Things have picked up since writing the last home match preview when we were still looking for our first league win of the season. It came in that game against Brentford which we followed up with that terrific 1-1 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

It’s not been enough to lift us out of the bottom three but should we be able to win a second home game tomorrow it could lift us three places although that would be dependent on the results obtained by Leeds, Aston Villa and Watford.

I’ve felt all season that our performances, generally, have been deserving of more points than we’ve picked up although I’m sure Chelsea will feel they did enough to beat us with all their shots at goal, the bulk of them missing the target.

Now it’s Palace. They were the first team we beat last season and we went on to complete the double over them with a superb performance at Selhurst Park, but this is a different Palace who are currently in tenth place.

Embed from Getty ImagesJosh Brownhill, who has started all but one of the Premier League games this season, said this week: “We have had belief all season, so we knew we could nick something (referring to Chelsea). We even had a few chances late on to maybe take the game.”

He added: ““Every game is important for us, but we know what Palace are like and the challenges they pose. They have started off really well this year and have some really good players, but over the years we have had some really good results against them.”

Brownhill is almost certain to start tomorrow in what I think will be an unchanged team. Ashley Barnes is expected to be ruled out with Dale Stephens, who is on his way back, then only other absentee.

We could line up: Nick Pope, Matt Lowton, James Tarkowski, Ben Mee, Charlie Taylor, Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson, Josh Brownhill, Ashley Westwood, Dwight McNeil, Chris Wood, Maxwel Cornet. Subs from: Wayne Hennessey, Connor Roberts, Phil Bardsley, Nathan Collins, Kevin Long, Erik Pieters, Jack Cork, Aaron Lennon, Jay Rodriguez, Matěj Vydra.

I don’t think anyone had much idea as to how Palace would do this season. A change of manager and a big turnover of players for starters and after a number of potential managers appeared to turn them down they turned to Patrick Vieira.

They’ve lost just twice, both 3-0 but at Chelsea and Liverpool. In other away games they’ve drawn at West Ham and Arsenal before winning one of the best results of the season so far at Manchester City. So, their away record might not look the best but the five teams they’ve played on their travels are currently the top five in the league.

At home, they’ve beaten Spurs and Wolves while drawing against Brentford, Brighton, Leicester and Newcastle.

Embed from Getty ImagesOverall, it’s given them 15 points and they currently sit just in the top half of the league and only they and Liverpool are unbeaten at home. Two of their players have scored four goals and potentially they are the two who we most need to keep an eye on, Conor Gallagher and Wilfried Zaha.

They are almost at full strength. Joachim Andersen (pictured above) has been passed fit having looked doubtful and Eberechi Eze is ready to come back in having been out since May with an Achilles injury. James McArthur is the only player ruled out; he has a hamstring injury.

Last time out against Wolves, they lined up: Vicente Guaita, Joel Ward, Joachim Andersen, Marc Guéhi, Tyrick Mitchell, Conor Gallagher, Cheikhou Kouyaté, James McArthur, Wilfried Zaha, Christian Benteke, Odsonne Édouard. Subs: Jack Butland, Luka Milivojevic, James Tomkins, Michael Olise, Jordan Ayew, Jeffrey Schlupp, Nathaniel Clyne, Martin Kelly, Jairo Riedewald.

 

LAST TIME THEY WERE HERE

 

Played seven, no wins, next to bottom of the league and Palace were our next opponents. Thankfully, we got that first win with the only goal of the game coming in just the eighth minute from Chris Wood who had scored one of the previous three goals.

Embed from Getty ImagesCheikhou Kouyaté gave away a needless free kick on our left. They cleared it but Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson crossed only for Kouyaté to get a bad header straight to Jay Rodriguez who slipped it through for Wood to score emphatically.

We maybe should have gone on to add another goal but didn’t and, in the end were thankful to Nick Pope making a superb save to deny Christian Benteke, a save that saw him miss the next game through injury.

The teams were;

Burnley: Nick Pope, Matt Lowton, James Tarkowski, Ben Mee, Charlie Taylor, Jόhann Berg Guðmundsson (Robbie Brady 67, Erik Pieters 84), Josh Brownhill, Ashley Westwood, Dwight McNeil, Chris Wood, Jay Rodriguez. Subs not used: Bailey Peacock-Farrell, Phil Bardsley, Kevin Long, Ashley Barnes, Matěj Vydra.

Crystal Palace: Vicente Guaita, Nathaniel Clyne, Cheikhou Kouyaté, Scott Dann, Patrick van Aanholt, Andros Townsend, Jairo Riedewald (Jeffrey Schlupp 67), James McArthur, Eberechi Eze, Jordan Ayew (Christian Benteke 77), Michy Batshuayi. Subs not used: Jack Butland, Joel Ward, Mamadou Sakho, Gary Cahill, Tyrick Mitchell.

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