Following their 2-0 win over Norwich City at the Selhurst Park last weekend, Crystal Palace will make the trip to the London Stadium to take on West Ham United on Saturday.
The Eagles have picked up 11 points from their 7 Premier League games, and are ninth in the league table.
Manuel Pellegrini’s side are also enjoying a brilliant run of form, but the Eagles have what it takes to test the Hammers.
Crystal Palace Team News
Luka Milivojevic picked up his fifth yellow card of the season last weekend against Daniel Farke’s side and will miss the game through a suspension.
Having missed the previous game with a muscle strain, a late call will be made on Mamadou Sakho. Meanwhile, Connor Wickham could make his return after his ankle injury.
Predicted Crystal Palace Lineup vs West Ham United (4-5-1)
Defence
Vicente Guaita bagged a clean sheet against the Canaries, and the veteran shot-stopper should keep his place in the Crystal Palace lineup.
Martin Kelly and Gary Cahill could be summoned to play in central defence. They will be up against an in-form West Ham attack, who tend to do well at home under Pellegrini.
Cahill’s presence at the back has been key for Palace this season. Joel Ward and Patrick van Aanholt are likely to start at the full-backs, and they will be up against two quality wingers in Andriy Yarmolenko and Felipe Anderson.
Midfield
In the central midfield, James McArthur and Cheikhou Kouyate could start. They will be tasked with the responsibility of pulling the strings in the middle of the park.
Kouyate, in particular, has been resilient this season. After 5 league outings, he averages 2.6 tackles and 1.4 interceptions per game on average.
In the absence of Milivojevic, Jeffrey Schlupp could be introduced centrally. He reads the game well and is quicker than the former. While Wilfried Zaha could be given the nod to start on the right-wing, Andros Townsend will look to have a go at the Hammers defence from the left.
Against Norwich City, Zaha mustered 6 dribbles, which was more than anyone else. However, the 26-year-old has to improve on his end product. Townsend, on the other hand, found the back of the net last time out, and he will be high on confidence.
Attack
Roy Hodgson could persist with Jordan Ayew up top. The 28-year-old has 2 goals to his name after 6 league games and will be desperate to add to his tally.
Statistics Credits: WhoScored
