Fifth-placed Tottenham host Crystal Palace in a London derby that is set to be fiercely contested as both teams are desperate to stay on track with their seasonal targets.
Crystal Palace visit North London for a Premier League clash against high-flying Tottenham Hotspur who have won each of their last four home games.
Spurs have won the last four matches against Palace with clean sheets in three of those, they will be looking for more of the same in their next meeting.
Heung-min Son was on the scoresheet as Tottenham won 2-1 away at Crystal Palace to remain unbeaten and top of the Premier League table earlier in the season, now they will look to stay in the top-four race.
The Lilywhites started the season in excellent form as they went unbeaten in the first ten games, winning eight. Spurs clicked right from the off with their new manager overseeing an overhaul in their playing style by bringing a brand of exciting attacking football.
An opening-day draw at Brentford was followed by consecutive 2-0 victories over Manchester United and Bournemouth. They then beat Burnley 5-2 and Sheffield United 2-1 via two added-time strikes, adding to their credentials with a draw against Arsenal and a controversial late win versus Liverpool.
Spurs beat Luton with a man sent-off then won consecutive London derbies against Fulham and Crystal Palace. The chance to win a third straight derby was denied as Chelsea inflicted a damaging 4-1 defeat which proved calamitous as the suspensions and injuries from that encounter cost them dearly.
Tottenham failed to win any of the next four games but they bounced back with an emphatic 4-1 victory over Newcastle featuring a brace from Richarlison. The Brazilian’s contributions would prove vital over the next few weeks as he netted five times in five matches with Spurs winning four of those.
The year ended with a 3-1 victory over Bournemouth that took Tottenham to within three points of second place and just one behind fourth-placed Arsenal. After beating Burnley by a lone goal to begin their FA Cup campaign, Spurs played out an exciting 2-2 draw at Manchester United.
Postecoglou will be keen to build on the first half of the campaign which saw them exceed early expectations, they will now be looking for a catalyst that keeps their momentum going.
Key players would have returned from injuries and international duty while new signings could also add an extra edge to their hopes as they return from the Premier League’s winter break.
Crystal Palace, on the other hand, have had mixed results all season as they struggled with injuries to their best players. Roy Hodgson returned to the Eagles’ dugout in March to deliver a positive end to last season but mitigating factors have made this an indifferent campaign so far.
Crystal Palace beat Sheffield United in the opening game of the season through Odsonne Edouard’s goal but Arsenal were able to get a slim victory at Selhurst Park on Matchday 2. A draw and a win against Brentford and Wolves set them off to a decent start in the first four games.
Nevertheless, Aston Villa’s quickfire goals turned a defeat into a 3-1 win but Palace steadied the ship somewhat with three consecutive clean sheets in the next games which included scoreless draws at home to Fulham either side of a 1-0 win at Manchester United.
Palace only won one and drew three of their next 11 matches as the season threatened to descend into mediocrity. However, the year 2023 ended with Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze sealing a 3-1 win over Brentford.
A defeat to Everton in their FA Cup Third Round replay was followed by a 5-0 thrashing at Arsenal on their return to Premier League duty. The Eagles must find a way out of the losing streak in order to avoid a relegation scrap and Roy Hodgson is under pressure to get his side performing again.
There is no doubt that Palace and their manager can turn around their results having done so several times, a positive outcome against Tottenham would be perfect for their fortunes.
Match tickets
This match takes place at the Tottenham Stadium on Saturday, March 2 2024 with kick-off set for 3 PM UK time. Match tickets are available for sale on each club’s website but club members will receive priority allocation.
There is massive interest in this game for both clubs given it is a derby, and that should be translated into the demand for tickets as Tottenham fans have thoroughly enjoyed watching their team play this season.
Hence, getting match tickets through official channels could prove very difficult and supporters who want Tottenham vs Crystal Palace tickets may have to make their search through ticket resale sites.
Team news
The likes of James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, and Manor Solomon would be closer to full fitness following the winter break but Tottenham still has a number of injury absences including
Giovani Lo Celso, Ben Davies, and Alejo Veliz are expected to be out for longer.
Crystal Palace are under less pressure on the injury front with only Cheick Doucoure and Michael Olise effectively ruled out of this game, while Joel Ward, Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, and Rob Holding are all injury doubts at the time of writing.
Line-ups
Spurs will be pleased with the availability of their first-choice centre-backs but James Maddison’s return is a huge positive. Timo Werner is a pacy addition to their attack and he could be handed a start against Palace.
Tottenham: Vicario; Porro, Royal, Davies, Udogie; Bissouma, Bentancur; Johnson, Maddison, Werner; Richarlison
Olise’s latest setback will cause a headache for Hodgson in the attack but Jordan Ayew should be back from international duty while Jean-Philippe Mateta continues to lead the line.
Crystal Palace: Henderson; Clyne, Andersen, Guehi, Mitchell; Lerma, Richards, Hughes; Eze, Mateta, Ayew
Prediction
Tottenham are favourites to win this game but they must be wary of a desperate side close to the bottom of the log. Hence, the Lilywhites must take their scoring chances and punish a defense lacking in confidence.
Spurs have indeed lost two of their three home derbies so far and they must be focused on bettering that record against Palace.
Tottenham 2-0 Crystal Palace
