Crystal Palace vs Huddersfield Town
Date: 30/03/2019
K/O: 15:00
Venue: Selhurst Park
Referee: Lee Probert
Huddersfield Town could crash out of the league this weekend if results go against them and they fail to beat Crystal Palace. It’s been coming, and their time is surely up in the Premier League, but can the Terriers cling on for another week?
The Terriers will be relegated if the following happens: Huddersfield lose to Crystal Palace, Brighton lose to Southampton and Burnley win against Wolves. This would bring an end to what has been a pretty miserable season for the Jan Siewert’s side, who have won only three games this campaign.
This early exit would be the second fastest relegation since Derby County in the 2007-08 campaign. Town almost beat the record, as Derby were relegated in March but this weekend is just one day after Derby crashed out of the top flight.
Crystal Palace aren’t safe yet either, the Eagles are five points clear of the drop zone and are seven points behind the infamous 40 points mark, which normally deems a team safe from relegation. Palace have had a turbulent season in the bottom half of league, from beating Champions Manchester City at the Etihad to loosing at home to Brighton. But, come the end of the season Palace are looking strong again and safety shouldn’t be a problem. In their last five games, Roy Hodgson’s side have taken eight points from a possible fifteen, scoring an impressive ten goals.
Talking of scoring goals, this is where Huddersfield will be in a lot of trouble. Hodgson’s attacking threat is immensely greater than Siewert’s – Palace have scored 36 goals which is exactly double Town’s tally this season (18). The likes of Wilfried Zaha, Batshuayi and Luka Milivojevic have been responsible for some impressive attacking football this season – scoring 18 goals between them.
Contrast this to Huddersfield’s armoury of Steve Mounie, Laurent Depoitre and Aaron Mooy, it shows a significant difference in terms of clinical finishing, they have four goals between them – a staggering contrast in terms of attacking football.
The other end is where the problems lie for both sides. Most notably Huddersfield, who have let in a hefty 57 goals so far, compared to Palace who have conceded 41. Interestingly though, both sides have only five clean sheets this season which goes to show their poor defensive capabilities.
In their last game, Huddersfield played out a thriller at the London Stadium which ended in defeat. Despite their best efforts, the Hammer’s attacking persistence was too much for the Terriers as Javier Hernandez scored a late brace to win it at the dead. A frustrating game brought about many positives for the West Yorkshire side, who scored their biggest tally this season in one game.
Another positive was the performance of Karlan Grant, who scored twice in quick succession for the visitors as he made just his third start in the league. Huddersfield will be hoping that he can replicate his performance for this weekend’s crucial game and keep their Premier League status for a little longer.
Crystal Palace also come into this game off the back of defeat. A late wonder strike from Anthony Knockaert was enough for the Seagulls to take all three points at Selhurst Park. A game which was largely dominated by the hosts ended in a frustrating loss, as Brighton moved up level on points with the Eagles and also have a game in hand. A must win for Palace this weekend if they are to stop Brighton from making it a tense end to the season.
Team News
Crystal Palace talisman, Wilfried Zaha picked up a hamstring injury last time out but looks likely to be fit for this weekend. The Englishman has eight goals and five assists to his name this season, he also scored the winning goal in the reverse fixture which ended Huddersfield 0 Crystal Palace 1. Zaha looks to be the real danger man in this tie, and will be keen to capitalise on his opposition’s leaky defence.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka also picked up a knock against Brighton but should likewise be fit to play, the youngster has had an injury ridden season which is why we are yet to see his full potential. He has registered only two assists this season and will be keen to get forward whenever possible.
Mamadou Sakho is unavailable for this weekend’s game as he is suffering from an ongoing knee injury. The Frenchman has been absent from Palace’s last three games and it seems that Scott Dann is standing in at centre back for the time being. Also unavailable is Alexander Sørloth who looks to be out for the remainder of the season.
Huddersfield’s big game won’t be helped by their ongoing injury crisis. Jan Siewert has said that attacking duo Demeaco Duhaney and Adama Diakhaby will both remain out, ahead of the trip to Crystal Palace. Laurent Depoitre will also not feature as he has had an ongoing foot injury, and won’t be quite ready. Isaac Mbenza trained this week, but Siewert suggested that the midfielder won’t feature and may need further rehab.
Some good news for Siewert is that Jonathan Hogg, Danny Williams and Christoper Schindler are all available for selection after having the week off. Karlan Grant and Bacuna are in contention, as Siewert said he had “21 players in training” on Thursday.
Abdelhamid Sabiri won’t be ready for selection despite having played for Germany under-21s over the international break. Midfielder Jason Puncheon isn’t eligible to play against his parent club and will sit this one out.
Siewert has been flexible with his tactics since his arrival having played a 4-4-1-1/4-2-3-1 at West Ham, and has used the 4-4-2 diamond shape in previous matches.
Predicted Starting XIs
Crystal Palace (4-3-3): Hennessey; Wan-Bissaka, Tomkins, Dann, Van Aanholt; Mcarthur, Milivojevic, Schlupp; Townsend, Batshuayi, Zaha
Huddersfield Town (4-1-2-1-2): Lössl; Smith, Schindler, Kongolo, Durm; Stankovic; Hogg, Bacuna; Pritchard; Grant, Mounie
Score prediction: Crystal Palace 3 Huddersfield Town 1
I’m not sure if the Terriers will bow out this weekend, but I think they will lose to Palace. City and Liverpool have both struggled against Palace and it’s no secret they are an impressive attacking side. That given, they often struggle against the ‘smaller’ sides, but given Huddersfield’s defence, I cannot see past a home victory.
