Crystal Palace vs Sheffield United
Date: 01/02/2020
K/O: 15:00
Venue: Selhurst Park
Referee: Andy Madley
The Blades didn’t rest last weekend, as they beat Millwall in the FA Cup. It’s been a nonstop season for the newly promoted club, but they should be delighted with their current position. Pre-season the Blades were tipped as relegation favourites, 24 games later, they’re in eighth position and a victory against Palace could hoist them into the top five which is a remarkable achievement.
This weekend’s game isn’t the most appealing on paper but it’s guaranteed to produce a feisty affair. Crystal Palace haven’t been renowned for their goals this season and have scored fewer than three goals in 10 of their 12 Premier League home games this season. Likewise, goals haven’t been a big feature of Sheffield United’s season and they have scored less than three goals in 10 of their 12 Premier League away matches – so it could result in a cagey game.
Team News
Crystal Palace
Mamadou Sakho will not be available for the visit of the Blades due to a hamstring injury and is joined on the bench by Jeffrey Schlupp who has a muscle injury.
Cenk Tosun who scored the opener against City is out with hamstring injury and will miss the Sheffield United game on Saturday. Roy Hodgson will welcome Christian Benteke, Andros Townsend and Patrick van Aanholt back from injury and Luka Milivojevic will also be available after suspension.
Joel Ward could replace Martin Kelly at right-back after returning to full fitness. Milivojevic will expect to return to the centre of midfield with James McCarthy dropping out. Tosun’s absence means that Jordan Ayew will move back to the central role in the attacking trio, resulting in either Townsend or Max Meyer coming into the side.
Sheffield United
David McGoldrick is Sheffield United’s only injury concern heading the match against Crystal Palace. The Republic of Ireland international missed the last three matches in league and cup but remains a possibility.
Chris Wilder mentioned that McGoldrick has suffered “a little bit of a setback” in midweek but that he’s hopeful of the forward’s involvement at Selhurst Park. Wilder’s strike options would be seriously limited if McGoldrick fails to recover, with Callum Robinson leaving on loan.
Billy Sharp is an option up top but the forward has only started two matches all season. It will most likely be Lys Mousset and Oli McBurnie paired in the attack, which was the case in Sheffield United’s last away match.
John Lundstram was a substitute at Manchester City last week and there were questions over whether his substitution was a tactical move or because of a dip in form. Mo Besic benefited from this and could get the nod again in south London. Though Wilder does like to keep things simple, so he may just stick to his usual midfield trio in a more winnable fixture.
Predicted Starting XIs
Crystal Palace (4-3-3): Guaita; Ward, Tomkins, Cahill, Van Aanholt; Kouyaté, Milivojevic, McArthur; Townsend, Jordan Ayew, Zaha
Sheffield United (3-5-2): Henderson; Basham, Egan, O’Connell; Baldock, Lundstram, Norwood, Fleck, Stevens; McBurnie, Mousset
Score Prediction: Crystal Palace 1-1 Sheffield United
Given both side’s poor attacking form, I think this will be a low scoring game. Defensively, both sides have looked pretty solid this season, which owes further to the fact that there will be few goals. A game like this is crying out for a moment of magic or something special and looking at the team-sheets, Zaha is a player that could decide whether a game is won or not. If he turns up or not, there is no easy game against Wilder’s side so the fixture seems nailed on for a draw.
