Tottenham Hotspur vs Crystal Palace

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium plays host to an all-London Premier League encounter between Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace.

After a heartbreaking 4-3 defeat at Liverpool last time out condemned them to a fourth consecutive winless match in the Premier League (D1, L3), Tottenham’s hopes of securing a second straight top-four finish are effectively dead in the water. Ryan Mason’s first task going into the season finale is to address his side’s growing defensive woes that saw them concede 15 times across those four games. Palace’s visit to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium could be just what the doctor ordered, as ‘Spurs’ have gone unbeaten in 14 of their last 15 top-flight H2Hs (W12, D2), including an emphatic 4-0 victory in the reverse fixture in January. Topically, they have kept a clean sheet in 52% of their Premier League meetings with Palace (14/27), which promises to turn their defensive fortunes around this weekend.

Unfortunately for Tottenham, Roy Hodgson’s return to the Crystal Palace bench in April has proved a catalyst to reinvigorate the visitors’ faltering frontline as they’ve netted 2+ goals in four of their six Premier League outings under the experienced tactician (W4, D1, L1). Just for reference, the ‘Eagles’ had scored two or more goals only six times in their first 28 top-flight fixtures this season. This upcoming clash may not be in their favor, considering their record of only one victory against current top-half Premier League clubs (D8, L9). But last weekend’s 4-3 home triumph over fellow London rivals West Ham United could inspire some confidence as they bid to arrest an underwhelming seven-match losing away run against Tottenham in the Premier League.