Aston Villa make the trip to Selhurst Park off of the back of a draw with Burnley.
The Midlands outfit succumbed to a late penalty away at Turf moor as inform Danny Ings netted the equaliser from the spot after being awarded by debut referee Graham Scott. This after Joe Cole became only Villa’s third different goalscorer this season that looked to have secured a much needed three points for Paul Lambert’s side.
The Villans had a good start to the season but have struggled of late. The low point has been not being able to muster a single goal in the month of October or managed a win since September. This has seen them since drop to sixteenth place in the Premier league table and without a win in ten games.
Palace boss Neil Warnock celebrated his 66th birthday this week and will hope that the week will end in a victory for Palace after a hard fought point on Saturday against Swansea City. Mile Jedinak’s fifth goal of the season cancelled out Wilfried Bony’s early opener.
Team News
Crystal Palace – Dwight Gayle was substituted early on in the first half at the Liberty Stadium even though it was apparent he did not wish to go off. Club physio Alex Manos made the call to bring the 21 year old off, however, he is likely to feature in some capacity. Damien Delaney missed the trip to South Wales and this game looks to be too early for the Irishman to make a return to the starting line up. Fellow defender Adrian Mariappa remains sidelined.
Aston Villa – Belgian forward Christian Benteke returns after suspension and defender Ciaran Clark is also expected to be available despite suffering blurred vision against Burnley on Saturday. There are no other injury concerns for Paul Lambert.
Analysis and Predictions
Prediction for Aston Villa – 16th
Villa’s goal scoring tally this season is a massive concern, with just seven in their thirteen league fixtures, the lowest in the top division. Darren Bent went on loan to Palace’s bitter rivals Brighton last week and ironically marked his debut for the Championship side by finding the net.
With the resignation of Roy Keane at Aston Villa last week, has his departure weakened the position of the manager? Many seem to think so, but with no word from owner Randy Lerner, we will not know the real reason behind the Irishman’s departure at such an odd stage of the season.
EPL Index prediction – home Win
Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson’s prediction – home Win
Who Scored predictions – draw
My prediction – home win
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