Crystal Palace wrap up 2024 on Sunday afternoon by welcoming a potentially revamped Southampton side to Selhurst Park.
It has been a difficult campaign for the Saints so far, but new manager Ivan Juric has offered a glimmer of hope. Juric oversaw a 1-0 defeat at West Ham during his managerial career, but there was plenty to admire about Saints' performance and they should have picked up at least a point.
“By watching the Fulham match and today, I believe our team is capable of competing,” the new coach said after the match on Thursday.
The drift toward pragmatism will undoubtedly help the bottom-placed side in the Premier League, who have collected a meager six points this season.
Palace had started the season in the trenches with SouthamptonBut Oliver Glassner has stumbled into stability over the past two months. The Eagles may not be the high-flying unit we saw earlier this year, but they look well balanced again and capable of making a push towards mid-table.
After losing twice to Arsenal last week, they would have been more than content with picking up a point against in-form Bournemouth on Boxing Day.
here 90 minutes Guide for Sunday Premier League clash.
Crystal Palace vs Southampton H2H record (last five matches)
Current form (all competitions)
|
Crystal Palace |
Southampton |
|---|---|
|
Bournemouth 0-0 Crystal Palace – 12/26/24 |
Southampton 0-1 West Ham – 12/26/24 |
|
Crystal Palace 1-5 Arsenal – 12/21/24 |
Fulham 0-0 Southampton – 12/22/24 |
|
Arsenal 3-2 Crystal Palace – 12/18/24 |
Southampton 1-2 Liverpool – 12/18/24 |
|
Brighton 1-3 Crystal Palace – 12/15/24 |
Southampton 0-5 Tottenham – 12/15/24 |
|
Crystal Palace 2-2 Man City – 12/07/24 |
Aston Villa 1-0 Southampton – 12/07/24 |
|
nation |
TV Channel/Live Broadcast |
|---|---|
|
UK |
Not televised |
|
US |
peacock |
|
Canada |
fuboTV Canada, Fubo Sports Network 5 Canada |
The Eagles will be without captain Mark Guehi after he picked up his fifth booking of the Premier League season at Bournemouth. Chris Richards will likely come into Glasner's backline as a result.
Eberechi Eze returned from a minor foot injury on Thursday and should start again this weekend. However, Palace are still without midfielder Adam Wharton, summer signing Shadi Riyad, and Matthews Franca.
Cheick Doucoure could come into Palace's midfield to replace the impressive Will Hughes, who has played a lot of football over the past few weeks.
Crystal Palace's expected lineup against Southampton (3-4-2-1):Henderson; Chalupa, Lacroix, Richards; Munoz, Lerma, Doucoure, Mitchell; Izzy, Sar; Tests.
As expected, there has been no major systemic overhaul from Juric in his coaching career, with the former Serie A coach retaining a back three.
This will be the case again on Sunday and it is unlikely that there will be major personnel changes.
Paul Onuachu was a nuisance against Hammers Without registering on the scorers list, he deserves to keep his place. There could also be a call-up for youngster Tyler Debling after he appeared on the bench on Boxing Day, with the teenager likely to come in for Matheus Fernandes behind the strikers.
Gabin Bazuno, Juan Larios, Ross Stewart and Will Smallbone are all sidelined.
Southampton expected lineup against Crystal Palace (3-4-1-2): Ramsdell; Harwood-Bellis, Stephens, Bednarik; Sugawara, Downs, Ugochukwu, Walker-Peters; dibbling; Archer, Onuachu.
We shouldn't expect excitement and spills in South London on Sunday. There is room for these two sides to cancel each other out.
Southampton will be a tougher test for opponents with the wily Juric at the helm, but they will struggle to score goals, so the hosts may have to dig hard during Sunday's match. Their defense – offers against Arsenal Despite this – they have improved immeasurably over the past six weeks, and they should be able to keep their extravagant visitors away.
Perhaps one moment of magic from Palace's dynamic attacking trio will tip the competition in their favour.
