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On Saturday, January 21, fourth-place Newcastle United will be welcomed to Selhurst Park by Crystal Palace in the Premier League.
Despite holding Manchester United to a 1-1 draw in their previous outing on Wednesday, the hosts have not won in their previous four competitions. After Bruno Fernandes gave the Red Devils a 44th-minute lead, Michael Olise scored an overtime equalizer. Meanwhile, Newcastle has not lost in their last 14 Premier League games. They beat Fulham 1-0 at home on Sunday, ending a two-game losing streak. After making an appearance as a substitute, Alexander Isak scored a goal in the 89th minute.
HEAD-TO-HEAD AND KEY STATISTICS FOR CRYSTAL PALACE VS. NEWCASTLE UNITED
Since their first meeting in the FA Cup in 1907, the two teams have competed 53 times. In these matches, Newcastle has outscored Palace, leading 30-12. Newcastle has won all four of their previous meetings with Palace, winning 3-2 on penalties in November’s League Cup match. In 12 of their last 13 competitive games against Newcastle, Palace has scored less than 2.5 goals. In their last five Premier League games, Newcastle has kept five clean sheets. In their last three Premier League games played at home, Palace has lost all three and failed to score in two of them. With three clean sheets, Newcastle has not lost in their last six away league games. With 11 goals conceded in 19 games, the visitors have the best defensive record in the Premier League, while Palace has conceded 27.
PREVIEW OF CRYSTAL PALACE
Crystal Palace has really struggled since English football resumed following the World Cup. Since then, the team has played five tournament games, lost four of them, and only scored goals in two of those five games. The team is not in danger of being relegated, but if they don’t get some points, it could become a serious threat sooner or later.
PREVIEW OF NEWCASTLE
Everyone knew that Newcastle would become one of the best teams in a few seasons, but no one anticipated that they would be this good so quickly. The team has the best defense in the league and has lost just one of its 16 games thus far. They rarely give up goals. Before the last couple of rounds, they had won seven straight games in the Premier League and were unbeaten in 16 games across all competitions.
MATCH PREVIEW
It is unclear how Michael Olise managed to keep his celebrations to a minimum on Wednesday night. The Eagles starlet scored a spectacular free kick in the final minute of the second half to prevent Man United from gaining second place in the Premier League.
Bruno Fernandes scored from Christian Eriksen’s pass just before the break for the Red Devils, but Olise scored an unstoppable free kick with just a few minutes left to earn Palace a well-earned point.
If David de Gea hadn’t saved Odsonne Edouard’s shot from hitting the crossbar, the Eagles could have won three points. However, Vieira enjoyed once more terrorizing Man United, and Palace now sits in 12th place, five points behind the top half.
Crystal Palace ended a three-game losing streak in all tournaments with Wednesday’s draw against Manchester United. Their February schedule is daunting to say the least, with games against Brentford, Brighton & Hove Albion, and Liverpool, as well as Man United’s return.
As spring approaches, Vieira’s Eagles are now winless in three Premier League games at home. Superstitious fans will be interested to learn that Palace have lost eight Premier League games in a row starting at 5.30 p.m. on Saturdays at Selhurst Park. Both of these factors could cause the Eagles to fall down the table.
Aleksandar Mitrovic thought he had given Fulham the lead from the penalty spot last Sunday, but replays showed that the Serbian had touched the ball twice as he slipped, so what could have been a dream return to St. James’ Park quickly turned into a nightmare.
After receiving a bizarre reprieve, Newcastle called on the cavalry and waited until the 89th minute to finish the job. In that time, substitute Alexander Isak scored to settle a close game in which Eddie Howe’s team’s patience was tested to the breaking point.
Even though it may be premature to talk about a title challenge, Newcastle is still in the Champions League mix at the halfway point of the season. They are in fourth place, just one point behind Manchester United and Manchester City, and five points ahead of Tottenham Hotspur after the Lilywhites lost to the champions on Thursday.
The steadfast rearguard of Newcastle, which heads into Saturday’s match on a 14-game winning streak in the Premier League, has kept clean sheets in their last five matches and has only allowed 11 goals all season, making them the league’s best defensive team.
In addition, they have won four of their last six away Premier League games, and they have already drew 0-0 with Palace twice this season, the most recent of which was a penalty shootout win in the third round of the EFL Cup.
TEAM NEWS
Crystal Palace have lost center back Joachim Andersen to a calf injury that will likely keep him out for a few more days. This allows Chris Richards to make his first start in the Premier League in the middle of the week, but he was probably lucky not to give up a penalty after a fight with Scott McTominay.
Nathan Ferguson and James McArthur are keeping Andersen company in the treatment room. Despite the positive outcome against Man United, where Jean-Philippe Mateta started before being hooked before the hour, Vieira may be tempted to tweak his team.
Will Hughes is certain to maintain his position in the engine room, but Jordan Ayew and Eberechi Eze will compete for recalls in the final third.
After Sunday’s victory over Fulham, where Bruno Guimaraes rolled his ankle and made it to halftime before leaving the field in tears and leaving the stadium on crutches, Newcastle’s jubilation quickly turned to concern.
Guimaraes’ return has not yet been scheduled, but he is likely to be out for a few weeks, along with Emil Krafth, Paul Dummett, Matt Targett, and Jonjo Shelvey, in the treatment room.
Joelinton, who started against Fulham despite a recent charge of drink driving, should revert to a midfield position in Guimaraes’ absence. This will allow the dangerous Allan Saint-Maximin to make a rare start out wide, and Isak will be interested in Callum Wilson’s number nine spot with Chris Wood moving to Nottingham Forest.
The possible starting lineup for Crystal Palace:
Guaita; Mitchell, Clyne, Richards, and Guehi; Hughes, Doucoure, and Eze; Zaha, Ayew, and Olise are three possible starters for Newcastle United:
Pope; Burn, Trippier, Schar, and Botman; Joelinton, Longstaff, and Willock;
CRYSTAL PALACE VS. NEWCASTLE UNITED:
Prediction by Almiron, Isak, and Saint-Maximin The Eagles have won just one of their last six matches against their northern rivals. In their three previous encounters with Newcastle, they have failed to score.
Since the start of the season last month, only four goals have been scored by the Magpies in their four games. Newcastle should win by a sliver of a margin and keep a clean sheet given the teams’ recent history and current form.
Prediction: Newcastle United 0-1 Crystal Palace.