A long trip North is up next for a Palace side that has been hit by injuries over recent weeks, just in time for one of the busiest run of fixtures of the season.
DATE
21st December 2019
KICK OFF
3pm
VENUE
St James’ Park, Barrack Rd, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4ST
LAST SEASON
This fixture last season was a successful trip up North for the Eagles who returned home with all three points in their back pocket courtesy of an 81st minute penalty from Luka Milivojevic.
OFFICIALS
REFEREE – Simon Hooper
ASSISTANTS – Richard West, Derek Eaton, Ross Joyce (fourth official)
VAR – Chris Kavanagh, Sian Massey-Ellis (assistant)
INJURIES
PALACE – Joel Ward, Jeffrey Schlupp, Andros Townsend and Gary Cahill are all expected to miss out. Patrick van Aanholt could face a late fitness test while Max Meyer and Jairo Riedewald are doubts.
NEWCASTLE – Jamaal Lascelles, Matt Ritchie, Allan Saint-Maximin and Cieran Clark all have injuries to contend with and are unlikely to feature. Florian Lejeune, Jonjo Shelvey and Miguel Almiron are doubts.
SUSPENSIONS
Mamadou Sakho
DISCIPLINE
Red cards – Isaac Hayden (1), Sean Longstaff (1), Mamadou Sakho (1)
Yellow cards – Luka Milivojevic (7), Federico Fernandez (3) Joelinton (3), James McCarthy (3), Jordan Ayew (3), Wilfried Zaha (3), Christian Benteke (2), Ciaran Clark (2), James McArthur (2), Fabian Schar (2), James Tomkins (2), Isaac Hayden (2), Javier Manquillo (2), Jeffrey Schlupp (2), Miguel Almiron (2), Paul Dummett (2), Joel Ward (2)
FORM GUIDE
Last FIVE meetings between the two sides;
- 06/04/2019 Newcastle United 0-1 Crystal Palace
- 22/09/2018 Crystal Palace 0-0 Newcastle United
- 04/02/2018 Crystal Palace 1-1 Newcastle United
- 21/10/2017 Newcastle United 1-0 Crystal Palace
- 30/04/2016 Newcastle United 1-0 Crystal Palace
Last FIVE results for Palace;
- 16/12/2019 Crystal Palace 1-0 Brighton & Hove Albion
- 07/12/2019 Watford 0-0 Crystal Palace
- 03/12/2019 Crystal Palace 1-0 Bournemouth
- 30/11/2019 Burnley 0-2 Crystal Palace
- 23/11/2019 Crystal Palace 1-2 Liverpool
Last FIVE results for Newcastle;
- 14/12/2019 Burnley 1-0 Newcastle United
- 08/12/2019 Newcastle United 2-1 Southampton
- 05/12/2019 Sheffield United 0-2 Newcastle United
- 30/11/2019 Newcastle United 2-2 Manchester City
- 25/11/2019 Aston Villa 2-0 Newcastle United
RECORD AGAINST NEWCASTLE
- Played 43
- Won 10
- Drawn 8
- Lost 25
FORM PLAYERS
Top two rated players from each team so far this season according to Who Scored;
- Jonjo Shelvey 7.17
- Wilfried Zaha 7.16
- Allan Saint-Maximin 7.06
- James McArthur 6.96
ONE TO WATCH
JONJO SHELVEY
Former clubs – Arsenal, West Ham United, Charlton Athletic, Liverpool, Blackpool (loan), Swansea City
The midfielder is a doubt to start the game but after finding some form of late, and the back of net, he is likely to be a player that Palace will need to keep close tabs on if he plays. At 27 years of age, Shelvey seems to have been a round for a while with stints at Charlton, Liverpool and Swansea but he has struggled with injuries in his time as a professional. Having said that, he has racked up over a century of appearances at Newcastle since joining the club in 2016.
KEY CLASH
JAMES TOMKINS v ANDY CARROLL
If the Newcastle striker does make a start in this match, which is likely in view of their injuries, he will be fighting tooth and nail to score his first goal since returning to the club. In his way will be a defender who has returned to the form since a number of injury lay offs and everything out on the pitch against Brighton on Monday. It will be quite a battle between the two.
PRE-GAME STATS
- Newcastle are unbeaten at home in the last 7 league matches
- Top scorers – Jonjo Selvey (5), Jordan Ayew (4)
- Top assisters – Christian Atsu (3), Andy Carroll (2), James McArthur (2)
- Top passers – Luka Milivojevic (743), James McArthur (559)
- Top tacklers – James McArthur (38), Isaac Hayden (36)
PREDICTION
Both sides have injuries to key players going into this fixture and with a busy schedule ahead, we may well see some goals. A draw for Palace will make it five games unbeaten but with the tools at the disposal of Roy Hodgson, this away fixture could be timely and allow the Eagles to express themselves offensively.
Final score: 2-1 to Palace (Ayew, Milivojevic)
OPPOSITION VIEW
We had a chat this week with Jake Jackman to find out his views on the season so far, the visit of Palace and much more.
BETTING ODDS
- Home – 7/5
- Draw – 21/10
- Away – 21/10
- Both teams to score – evens
