The Premier League fixtures keep on rolling at the start of 2023 as Crystal Palace welcome London rivals Tottenham to Selhurst Park on Wednesday evening.
The Eagles rounded off 2022 by beating Bournemouth 2-0 away thanks to goals from Jordan Ayew and Eberechi Eze. The win at Bournemouth quickly helped Patrick Vieira’s men erase the 3-0 defeat to Fulham from their memories.
Entering the New Year with the aim of making it back-to-back league wins, Vieira and co. should pose a tough test for Tottenham, who suffered a 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa on New Year’s Eve.
James Tomkins, who was sent off against Fulham, has served his one-game suspension and will be available for selection. Left-back Tyrick Mitchell, however, still has a couple of banned games to serve after his straight red card for a reckless lunge on Kenny Tete.
There are no fresh concerns on the injury front for Crystal Palace, with Sam Johnstone, Nathan Ferguson and James McArthur still on the sidelines.
Goalkeeper
Vicente Guaita is expected to start again in between the sticks as he looks to keep back-to-back clean sheets for Crystal Palace.
Defence
As Tyrick Mitchell remains suspended, Joel Ward should continue to deputise at left-back. It is likely that Marc Guehi and Joachim Andersen will continue at centre-back, with Nathaniel Clyne operating from the right-back position.
The availability of James Tomkins is a boost for Vieira as he will offer cover for the centre-back position from the bench.
Midfield
Up ahead in midfield, Cheick Doucoure should reprise his No.6 role and try dictating the tempo of play. Doucoure’s presence should allow Eberechi Eze and Jeffrey Schlupp to license to bomb forward and make more of an impact in the final third.
If Palace are to get control of the game at the earliest, the trio of Doucoure, Schlupp and Eze will have to stop Spurs’ midfielders from getting more on the ball. Will Hughes and Jairo Riedewald could be brought on in the second half if Palace need a bit more bite and energy in the middle of the park.
Attack
Wilfried Zaha has been a permanent fixture in Vieira’s offensive department and should start again on the left. Michael Olise will look to enjoy another productive night off the right flank after his solid showing at Bournemouth.
Jordan Ayew scored his first goal of the season at Bournemouth and will be confident of getting himself on the scoresheet in midweek. With the manner in which Spurs are defending at the moment, the trio of Ayew, Zaha and Olise will fancy their chances.
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