Crystal Palace have had a disappointing start to their campaign, recording only two wins in seven matches so far. And the Eagles are all set to face another daunting task this weekend when they host Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Selhurst Park tomorrow.
The Wolves are unbeaten in the league since mid-August, that loss being their only defeat of the campaign. The newly promoted outfit also registered a comfortable victory against Southampton last weekend and will be definitely regarded as the favourites going into this game.
Team news
Scott Dann and Connor Wickham will be missing this clash through injury along with star striker Christian Benteke, who is suffering from a knee injury.
Jairo Riedewald is another player who could be ruled out this weekend, because of a muscle injury. However, he will be assessed before the game and should return to action pretty soon, even if he fails to make the squad against Wolves.
Defence
Crystal Palace coach Roy Hodgson is expected to stick to the same four-man backline he used against Bournemouth last weekend, meaning James Tomkins and Mamadou Sakho will once again start in central defence. Tomkins, this season, has made the most number of clearances amongst the Palace defenders but Sakho’s ability to marshal the defence could be equally important as the hosts look to keep out the dangerous Wolves attack this weekend.
Aaron-Wan Bissaka and Patrick van Aanholt will be deployed as the fullbacks for the home side. Wan-Bissaka, in particular, will be Palace’s most important defender, having averaged the most number of tackles and interceptions in the team. He is second only to Wilfred Zaha in the dribbles count whilst averaging almost one key pass per game, making him the complete package.
Wayne Hennessey will be the man between the sticks for the Eagles.
Midfield
Cheikhou Kouyate will once again have to settle for a place on the bench as James McArthur is likely to partner Max Meyer and Luka Milivojevic at the base of Palace’s 4-3-3.
It will be interesting to see what Meyer can provide in the final third after a rather disappointing game against Bournemouth last weekend.
Attack
Jordan Ayew will continue to deputize for the injured attacking duo of Connor Wickham and Christian Benteke. Although the Ghanian international is yet to score a goal in the league this campaign, his speed and tenacity could cause problems for the Wolves defence, especially with the likes of Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend partnering him in wider positions.
Stat courtesy: Whoscored
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