Newcastle United vs Crystal Palace
Date: 06/04/2019
K/O: 15:00
Venue: St James’ Park
Referee: Stuart Atwell
Crystal Palace travel North to visit Newcastle United on Saturday afternoon with both sides on the brink of securing another season in the Premier League.
Just a point separates Crystal Palace and Newcastle who sit 13th and 14th respectively in the league table, though a victory could see the Eagles swoop above AFC Bournemouth in the table. Meanwhile, Rafael Benitez’s side could leapfrog both Saturday’s visitors and the Cherries with a win.
Southampton and Brighton each have a game in hand on Saturday’s opponents, meaning that if Newcastle drop points, they risk being overtaken in the future yet one more win should be enough for the Magpies. As for Crystal Palace, they should be safe from plummeting down the table even if they lose in the North East due to a superior goal difference.
Currently though, neither side is at risk of dropping into the relegation zone after Cardiff City’s unfortunate loss at Chelsea left them cut adrift by five points to 17th placed Burnley.
After Crystal Palace beat Huddersfield Town on Saturday to send the Terriers down, Patrick Van Aanholt has now scored to relegate three sides from the Premier League in three years. The Dutch defender has also previously registered strikes against Stoke City and Hull City on the day they succumbed to the drop. With Cardiff City still to play on the penultimate game of the season, it’s possible the wing-back could add a fourth victim to his growing list.
Roy Hodgson’s men faced a daunting task travelling across London to the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Wednesday evening, where they lost 2-0. Though the Eagles boast the seventh best away record in the Premier League this season, on their travels, the London club have registered 20 points this term and could be set to add to that on Saturday afternoon.
Meanwhile, Rafael Benitez has had a selection headache in central midfield for the majority of the season; Sean Longstaff provided the answer when Jonjo Shelvey and Ki Sung-Yeung both became unavailable at the turn of the year. Though unfortunately after a spectacular emergence to the first team, Longstaff has sustained a knee ligament injury and will be absent until the end of the season.
However, the injury to Longstaff does present an opportunity for Mohammed Diame to earn himself a new contract. The Senegalese midfielders current deal expires in the summer and questions remain over whether he has done enough to deserve an extension. So far this season he’s made 23 appearances in the Premier League without providing a single goal or assist. Having said this, Diame’s versatility is his greatest asset and Benitez is believed to be keen to keep him on Tyneside. An improved performance against Crystal Palace may go a long way to justifying an extended stay in the North East.
Predicted Starting XIs
Newcastle United (5-2-2-1): Dubravka; Yedlin, Lejeune, Lascelles, Dummet, Ritchie; Hayden, Diame;
Perez, Almiron; Rondon.
Crystal Palace (4-3-3): Guaita; Wan-Bissaka, Tomkins, Dann, Van Aanholt; McArthur, Milivojevic,
Schlupp; Townsend, Batshuayi, Zaha.
Score Prediction: Newcastle United 1 Crystal Palace 1
Newcastle’s home form has been the backbone of their season but Crystal Palace will unsettle the hosts by defending deep and breaking to create openings. The Magpies may find the visitors challenging to break down, which will likely result in a point apiece.
