Crystal Palace have indeed excelled under the stewardship of Roy Hodgson and currently, they look like a side capable enough of finishing inside the top-half of the Premier League table. The improvement has been substantial, given that the Eagles were struggling to score a goal prior to the appointment of Hodgson.
Nonetheless, there is a lot more to be done and on Sunday, they are due to host Newcastle United at the Selhurst Park. Palace will be missing the services of Bakary Sako, Scott Dann and Jason Puncheon as they are out for the rest of the season. Besides, Jeffrey Schlupp and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are also out due to injury.
Here is how we expect Crystal Palace to assemble against Rafael Benitez’s men in their upcoming game.
Defence
Wayne Hennessey is likely to start between the sticks once again. The 31-year-old has mustered 3 clean sheets from 14 league appearances, making 3.07 saves per game on an average. To ensure that his side finishes higher in the standings, he definitely needs to carry on his good form.
The duo of James Tomkins and Mamadou Sakho are expected to be chalked at the heart of the backline. They are a more than decent pair and should be able to shield Hennessey when the Toon come charging forward on Sunday.
While Patrick van Aanholt is likely to be used to fill the left-back slot, Timothy Fosu Mensah is anticipated to be given the nod to start from the right-back position. These two fullbacks have been decent of late and Hodgson is unlikely to tinker with them.
Midfield
We might see some alterations in the midfield region. We expect to see Yohan Cabaye teaming up with Luka Milijojevic to knit the side together with their passes and vision. A lot would rely on how these two operate in the middle of the park.
Sako would undoubtedly be missed but the London based club need to find measures to keep their form going. Andros Townsend and James McArthur could be positioned in the wide areas on the left and right side of the midfield, respectively, to give the side a cutting edge from the flanks.
Attack
Christian Benteke found the back of the net against the Hammers and the Belgian is likely to lead Crystal Palace’s attack alongside Wilfried Zaha. Benteke and Zaha have scored just 6 league goals combined and it goes without saying that they really need to up the ante from here.
