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Premier League: Tottenham Hotspur vs Crystal Palace – After an unusual two weeks without Premier League football, Tottenham Hotspur will return to North London on Saturday afternoon when they play a capital derby against their nearby rivals Crystal Palace.
The Wolverhampton Wanderers team defeated Ange Postecoglou’s team 2-1 two weeks ago, and Burnley was soundly defeated 3-0 at Selhurst Park to start the Oliver Glasner era.
Tottenham had two weeks off after mimicking the Blues with a humiliating home loss to Gary O’Neil’s counterattacking masters on February 17.
This was due to Chelsea’s futile attempts in the EFL Cup final, which resulted in the postponement of their planned London derby with Spurs.
Joao Gomes made his mark on the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium turf once more after Dejan Kulusevski poked home through Jose Sa’s legs at the near post to cancel out the former’s opening header.
Pedro Neto’s ninth assist of the top flight campaign allowed Gomes to score, handing Spurs their first Premier League loss of 2024.
Given their performances against Everton and Brighton & Hove Albion, whom they only overcame thanks to a late winner, it was actually inevitable that Tottenham would lose.
As a result, the Lilywhites have once again given up fourth place in the Premier League standings to Aston Villa.
Postecoglou’s team has an eight-game streak without a clean sheet in the Premier League, which has hindered their pursuit for elite European play.
With the match at hand, they trail the Lions by five points and are only three points ahead of Manchester United.
Spurs have already lost both of their home London derbies this season—to Chelsea and West Ham United—in addition to their defensive shortcomings. However, thanks to Kulusevski’s late goal against Wolves, the Lilywhites’ incredible scoring streak in the Premier League now stands at 37 games.
After Postecoglou’s explosive start to his English football career, fellow Premier League rookie Glasner, who took over for the 76-year-old Roy Hodgson after he decided to step down, relished a dream Selhurst Park debut as Crystal Palace’s manager.
On February 24, after watching Palace’s new three-at-the-back formation frustrate Everton in a 1-1 draw from the stands, the former head coach of Eintracht Frankfurt orchestrated a convincing victory over Burnley, with goals from Chris Richards, Jordan Ayew, and Jean-Philippe Mateta in an 11-minute burst that left the net bulging.
It will take time to determine if the Eagles’ meteoric rise is the result of a shift in direction or just the so-called “new manager bounce.” Nevertheless, after just seven Premier League games this year, the visitors, in 13th place, have a commanding eight-point lead over Luton Town, in 18th place.
Read also: Premier League: Nottingham Forest vs. Liverpool match preview, prediction, team news, lineups
After winning his debut game, Glasner’s next goal is to end Crystal Palace’s ugly eight-game losing streak on the road.
The team’s last victory away from home came against Burnley on November 4, and they have now lost nine games in a row without winning a London derby on enemy soil.
One of the games in that run was a 2-1 loss to Tottenham at Selhurst Park on October 27, the Lilywhites’ fourth consecutive victory over Crystal Palace, whose previous victory away from Spurs came in the FA Cup fifth round of 2015–16, won by Martin Kelly, the Eagles’ lone goal.
Tottenham Hotspur Premier League form:
W D W D W L
Tottenham Hotspur form (all competitions):
D L W D W L
Crystal Palace Premier League form:
L W L L D W
Prior to their defeat by Wolves, Tottenham suffered two devastating defensive setbacks: first, Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie skipped an open training session at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and then, because of strains in their knees, respectively, they were both unable to play against O’Neil’s team.
Although Udogie’s issue should resolve in time for the London derby, Porro’s status remains uncertain, and Ryan Sessegnon, another wide player, may now miss the remainder of the campaign due to a cruel hamstring injury; the Englishman had surgery after hurting himself during Under-21 action.
The unfortunate Sessegnon is welcomed back into the treatment room by Fraser Forster (foot) and Manor Solomon (knee), while Ben Davies should return to his customary spot on the bench following Udogie’s anticipated recall.
Key defender Joachim Andersen for Crystal Palace was unable to play the entire 90 minutes against Burnley because of cramps, but his condition shouldn’t prevent him from starting at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Glasner is also hopeful that Will Hughes, who has missed the Eagles’ previous two games due to an ankle injury, and Eberechi Eze, who resumed training last week following a thigh issue, will go to North London.
Still out of commission and not expected to return to play anytime soon are Michael Olise (hamstring), Rob Holding (ankle), Marc Guehi (knee), Jesurun Rak-Sakyi (thigh), and long-time Achilles victim Cheick Doucoure (who recently signed a new deal at Selhurst Park).
Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:
Vicario; Royal, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Bissouma, Sarr; Kulusevski, Maddison, Son; Richarlison
Crystal Palace possible starting lineup:
Johnstone; Ward, Richards, Andersen; Munoz, Wharton, Lerma, Mitchell; Eze, Ayew; Mateta
Our prediction for this match 2-1 won by tottenham hotspur
