Crystal Palace will be looking to extend their unbeaten run to five games with a trip to take on Palace pariah Steve Bruce and his Hull City side.
A Barry Bannan goal sealed victory for the Eagles last time out which began the amazing turnaround that saw Palace climb to 11th in the Barclays Premier League. New manager Neil Warnock will look to secure a similar result this time round as Palace look to make it three wins in three.
Hull managed to bounce back to score twice against reigning champions Manchester City but failed to find an equaliser before ending up losing 4-2 on Saturday. Boss Steve Bruce made no bones about his teams lack of defending which has proved problematic already this season with only one win to their name so far leaving the Tigers in sixteenth.
Bruce signalled his intent early to build upon their finest season in recent history with the signings of Jake Livermore, Robert Snodgrass and former Palace loan star Tom Ince. These were in addition to the deadline day signings of Hatem Ben Arfa, Abel Hernandez and Gaston Ramirez as they look to improve on the side that flourished last season.
Team News
Hull City – Both David Meyler (back) and Robert Snodgrass (knee) look set to miss out on the visit of the Eagles. Loan striker Gaston Ramirez looks to have overcome his groin injury in time and is expected to be included. Bruce has no other selection issues for the match.
Crystal Palace – Marouane Chamakh managed fifteen minutes in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Leicester City. Time will tell if he will be able to force his way back into the starting eleven or if the Moroccan international will have to settle for a place on the bench. There are no other fresh injury concerns for the Warnock who has the luxury of choosing from a fully fit squad.
Analysis and Predictions
My prediction for Hull City – 13th
Hull had a really good season last year. The successful striking partnership of Nikica Jelavic and Shane Long combined well up front to help the club reach the FA Cup final after securing Premier League status for another year. They have made some good signings this summer too with Gaston Ramirez, Robert Snodgrass and Jake Livermore among six fresh faces coming in to the KC Stadium.
They have seen only George Boyd and Shane Long leave for pastures new but Steve Bruce has done well to cover the loss of two key players for them last season. The main problem was the Europa League. It was perhaps the last thing they needed as was evident with Swansea City last year how much of a hindrance the competition can be to your Premier League form. However, the Tigers failed to qualify for the group stages which could turn out to be a blessing in disguise.
With the money they have spent, they should be pushing for the top half and staying well away from the relegation mix. Like all other clubs, they were desperate to get off to a good start but they have drawn three games that could have easily been wins. They will have to build on these results if they want to reach their potential, however, I see a similar finish to last season.
EPL Index prediction – draw
Sky Sports Paul Merson’s prediction – away win
Who Scored prediction – home win
TEB prediction – away win
