Crystal Palace welcome relegation-battling Watford to Selhurst Park as the Hornets look to starve off their impending doom.
Victory would see Palace improve to ninth for a few hours at minimum, whilst Watford must win to starve off relegation for one further match, although relegation will be confirmed if at least two of Everton, Leeds or Burnley pick up points this weekend regardless of if the Hornets win or not.
Team News
Crystal Palace have no fresh injury concerns to report as Nathan Ferguson remains ruled out with a hamstring injury.
Manager, Patrick Vieira has also refused to rule out giving Academy players a first-team run out in Palace’s remaining matches of this season.
Watford could welcome Craig Cathcart (illness) and Tom Cleverley (knock) back into contention if the pair pass late fitness tests.
Cucho Hernandez (hamstring) remains absent.
Stat Attack
- Crystal Palace have lost just three of their last 10 league meetings against Watford (W4, D3, L3).
- Watford have won two of five Premier League visits to Selhurst Park (W2, L3), in which both of the Hornets’ victories were by 2-1 results in February 2016 and January 2019 respectively.
- Three of five Premier League meetings at Selhurst Park in this fixture were settled by 2-1 results with Watford winning twice to Palace’s one, whilst the Eagles twice won by 1-0 results.
- Palace have kept clean sheets in their last four home matches in all competitions (W2, D2), in which both draws finished goalless and they netted seven goals in total across both wins.
- Emmanuel Dennis has scored in three of Watford’s four away wins this season in the Premier League.
Prediction
Despite enduring a sloppy start to last weekend’s match at Southampton, Palace did well to regroup and snatch a comeback win with excellent quick passing play into clinical attacks, complete with players overlapping each other up the pitch which proved crucial.
Watford meanwhile need to put the disappointment of their defeat against Burnley behind them because they played well on attack with strong intensity, although their failure to finish chances when in control whilst a late imploding defence didn’t help either.
Relegation though seems assured for the visitors no matter what happens here but if Watford can continue to build on the positives within their attack, they could give Palace a good game although Palace certainly will make it as hard as possible.
Prediction: Crystal Palace 1-1 Watford
Result: Crystal Palace 1-0 Watford
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