After a victory over Fulham in the first game of the season, Crystal Palace have tasted three back to back league defeats, and find themselves playing catching up already. They did beat Swansea City in the League Cup before the break but will have to start registering victories, to avoid another late scrap for safety. Roy Hodgson will not be too impressed with the way his side played in their defeat to Southampton at home but he will hope that the Eagles can bounce back when they travel to Kirklees this weekend.
David Wagner’s side have picked up just two points this season. They have only scored a couple of goals but stand as the leakiest defence in the top flight, alongside West Ham. Palace have the quality to take all three points from this game but playing away from home, will have to be at their best to do so.
Team News
Palace will be without Scott Dann and Pape Souare both of who are currently nursing injuries. Connor Wickham and Christian Benteke are also suffering from niggles and will not feature while Wilfried Zaha, who was not a part of the loss against the Saints, is back in training and will be assessed before the match. But with Palace losing all 10 matches in which he has not played since the start of last season, the team management will do everything possible to get him on the pitch.
Predicted Crystal Palace Lineup vs Huddersfield Town (4-4-1-1)
Defence
With 4.3 saves per game this season, Wayne Hennessey has been one of the best players for Palace so far and could be hard to beat for a Town side, that has lacked spark in their attack. In the likely absence of Tomkins, Mamadou Sakho and Martin Kelly are expected to keep their place at the heart of the backline. They will be up against a tricky customer in Steve Mounie, who needs special attention for most of the game.
With an assist and four key passes so far this season, Patrick van Aanholt has been effective at left-back and should start there this weekend. With 3.7 tackles, 2.3 interceptions and 5.3 clearances, along with 1.7 key passes and 2.3 dribbles per game this season, Aaron Wan Bissaka, though he had a tough time against Southampton, has been Palace’s best player so far this campaign and deserves to keep his place in the first team at right-back.
Midfield
Luka Milivojevic has been effective in the middle of the park for Palace, adding some balance to the side. He is expected to start alongside James McArthur, who has 1.5 tackles and 1.5 interceptions per game this season. They will have to control the tempo of the game, not allowing the likes of Aaron Mooy to settle down in this tie.
Jeffrey Schlupp had a decent time against Swansea in the League Cup and has started all four games for Palace. He should keep his place on the left flank while Andros Townsend, who is yet to make an impact on the scoreline, will continue to add width on the right flank.
Attack
With Benteke doubtful, Zaha could make a shock return and lead the line for Palace. He should be partnered with German star Max Meyer, who only came off the bench in the last few games. He could get his first league start this weekend. The duo will be up against a smart CB-pairing in Terrence Kongolo and Christopher Schindler and will have to be at their wily best.
Here is how they might line up:
Stat Credit: Whoscored.com
