Crystal Palace are set to host Watford at Selhurst Park on Saturday and will look to keep up the winning momentum after their 1-0 win over Grimsby Town in the third round of the FA Cup.
The Eagles are in a good run of form as they have won three of their last five games in the Premier League, and are 14th in the Premier League table with 22 points after 21 games.
Palace are four points behind Brighton who are 13th in the table, and Hodgson’s side will look to close the gap come the weekend.
Crystal Palace Team News
Defender Pape Souare is set to be sidelined for a couple of months following an operation on his dislocated shoulder. Meanwhile, Christian Benteke is back in the training but is not fully fit yet.
Crystal Palace Predicted Line-up
Defence
Vicente Guaita is likely to keep his place in goal. The 32-year-old has been a reliable option with the gloves.
Mamadou Sakho and James Tomkins might once again be used as the central defensive pairing by Roy Hodgson. The two have been solid lately and deserve to get the nod.
Patrick van Aanholt is set to operate as the left-back as usual, while Aaron Wan-Bissaka should start in the right-back position.
Van Aanholt has been excellent in going forward, and was arguably Crystal Palace’s best player in their 2-0 win over Wolves.
Midfield
Cheikhou Kouyate’s lacklustre and sloppy outing in the midfield against the Wolves might make Hodgson turn his attention towards Max Meyer.
Luka Milivojevic and James McArthur should be able to keep their place in the starting XI and play in the deeper midfield roles, allowing Meyer more freedom to move forward as that’s his best position.
Attack
Jordan Ayew is likely to be the one to lead the line against Watford this weekend. The Ghanaian has to score goals regularly to keep his place in the starting lineup, and he will be buoyed by his strike against Wolves.
Andros Townsend is set to operate on the right while Wilfried Zaha is expected to get the nod to start on the left-wing.
Statistics Credits: WhoScored
