Crystal Palace and Leeds United will both be looking to bounce back from respective defeats when the two sides meet at Selhurst Park for Saturday's Premier League showdown.
Palace suffered a 2-0 defeat away to Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out, whereas Leeds were no match for Leicester City at Elland Road on Monday.
Match preview
© Reuters
Things have not been going swimmingly for Roy Hodgson and Crystal Palace since that historic win at Old Trafford, with the Eagles picking up just one victory from five since then.
Palace did manage to take four points from a possible six in showdowns with Brighton & Hove Albion and Fulham, but Hodgson's men were soon brought crashing back down to earth as Wolves eased to a 2-0 victory over the Eagles last Friday.
Rayan Ait Nouri notched up a goal on his debut while Daniel Podence made sure of the win over Palace, who also had Luka Milivojevic sent off on a truly forgettable night for Hodgson and co, who will be as determined as ever to bounce back and head into the international break with another win under their belts.
In spite of the fact that Wilfried Zaha has enjoyed a stellar start to the campaign with five goals and one assist in the league, Palace have only notched up three other strikes not scored by the Ivory Coast international - the joint lowest besides the bottom four - but watching Leicester put four past Leeds may give the Eagles' attacking contingent some much-needed confidence before the two sides take to the field this weekend.
© Reuters
Leeds have always promised to serve up tasty showdowns since making their eagerly-anticipated return to the big time, but while there were goals in abundance in their most recent fixture, Marcelo Bielsa's men only notched up one of them.
The Whites welcomed an in-form Leicester side to Elland Road several days after they had already dispatched another high-flying side in Aston Villa with ease, but Brendan Rodgers's men proved too strong for Leeds as Leicester ran out 4-1 winners on the night, with Youri Tielemans netting twice and further strikes from Harvey Barnes and Jamie Vardy completing the rout.
Bielsa may be concerned about his side's home form now that Leeds have gone three games without a top-flight win on familiar territory, but the Whites have won two from three on their travels - with that solitary defeat on the road coming in the seven-goal thriller at Anfield back in September.
Leeds have since taken maximum points from trips to Sheffield United and Villa, with Patrick Bamford chalking up all of Leeds' goals in those two matches, and the Whites will need the Englishman to continue his prolific form on the road if they are to return to winning ways at Selhurst Park.
Palace and Leeds have not locked horns since the 2012-13 Championship campaign, with Leeds winning 2-1 at home before the spoils were shared in a 2-2 draw in the capital.
Crystal Palace Premier League form: WLLDWL
Leeds United Premier League form: WWDLWL
Team News
© Reuters
Milivojevic begins a three-game ban for the hosts after his sending-off against Wolves, with James McArthur therefore set to come back into the Palace midfield.
James McCarthy could feature but the hosts will be without the injured James Tomkins and Tyrick Mitchell, with Cheick Kouyate set for another outing in the heart of the rearguard alongside Scott Dann if Gary Cahill is not deemed fit enough to start just yet.
Jordan Ayew made his return from coronavirus off the bench at Molineux, while new goalkeeper Jack Butland has also recovered from a positive diagnosis and is finally in training with the Eagles.
As for Leeds, six-goal Bamford will continue to spearhead the attack in the absence of club-record signing Rodrigo, who recently tested positive for coronavirus.
Fellow summer arrival Raphinha is doubtful with an ankle injury but has an outside chance of being involved, but Diego Llorente is set to remain on the sidelines alongside Kalvin Phillips for a little while longer.
Wholesale changes are not expected from Bielsa despite shipping four against Leicester, but youngster Jamie Shackleton may find his spot under threat in the middle of the park.
Crystal Palace possible starting lineup:
Guaita; Clyne, Kouyate, Dann, Van Aanholt; Townsend, McArthur, Riedewald, Schlupp; Zaha, Ayew
Leeds United possible starting lineup:
Meslier; Ayling, Koch, Cooper, Dallas; Struijk; Costa, Klich, Hernandez, Harrison; Bamford
We say: Crystal Palace 2-2 Leeds United
The Eagles will feel confident of getting back amongst the goals against a leaky Leeds defence, but the Whites have produced some good showings on the road and Palace have several absentees to contend with themselves. Zaha and Bamford will be key to either side's chances of taking all three points, and while both teams are sure to be gunning for glory at Selhurst Park, we are ultimately backing a high-scoring draw.
Top betting tip
Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting an away win in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Away Win:dataVideo prediction
Watch the Sports Mole Football Shorts prediction for this game below:
