Newcastle United vs Crystal Palace

Premier League heavy hitters Newcastle United entertain defensively robust Crystal Palace in a mid-table clash at St James’ Park.

Despite relinquishing a narrow lead late in a 2-2 draw at West Ham last time out, Newcastle United’s unbeaten streak in all competition stands at seven matches (W5, D2), including three wins in four in the Premier League (D1). Eddie Howe’s men have been scoring for fun this season, starting this round as one of only two Premier League clubs to have reached a 20-goal threshold. Moreover, they put four past Paris Saint-Germain in their most recent outing at St James’ Park, which contributed to their last five competitive fixtures featuring a combined 20 match goals (W4, D1). Against this backdrop, each of Newcastle’s three competitive H2Hs against Crystal Palace in 2022/23 ended 0-0 in the regular 90 minutes, suggesting a low-scoring affair could be in store for a change.

Visiting Crystal Palace wouldn’t mind sharing the spoils again, even though it would take their winless H2H run to six games (D3, L2). An ominous injury crisis at Selhurst Park has hindered Palace’s progress in recent matches, with Roy Hodgson’s side failing to win three of their last four Premier League fixtures (D2, L1). But despite their underwhelming spell of form, the ‘Eagles’ begin this round only one point adrift of Newcastle and five behind fourth-placed Liverpool, testifying to Hodgson’s great work in London. Defensive solidity has been essential to Palace’s decent eight-game league start (W3, D3, L2), as they’ve conceded an average of only 0.87 goals per game. But scoring has been an issue, with the visitors scoring just seven times thus far.