Crystal Palace will be looking to build on their hard-fought draw with Manchester City last time out when they host Southampton at Selhurst Park on Tuesday.
Roy Hodgson’s side have drawn their last four league games and come into this tie in ninth. On the other hand, Southampton are thirteenth. But the congested nature of the Premier League mid-table means a win would see Saints leapfrog Palace.
Following three straight 1-1 draws, the Eagles came from behind to rescue a point against Man City. Cenk Tosun put Palace ahead, before Sergio Aguero netted twice. However, after some brilliant work from Wilfried Zaha, Fernandinho turned the ball into his own net.
Hodgson’s side saw just 27% of the ball at the Etihad and only managed five shots. But the Eagles’ persistence eventually paid off.
Southampton come into this game on the back of a disappointing 3-2 defeat at the hands of Wolves. Goals from Jan Bednarek and Shang Long saw Saints go into the break with a comfortable lead. But three second-half goals for Wolves turned the game on its head.
Still, that was Southampton’s first defeat in six league games. Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side have turned their season around in recent months after winning six of their previous 11 matches.
Saints defensive problems are still evident with just two sides conceding more goals than Southampton in the top-flight this season. But no other team has scored more goals than Saints in the bottom half of the Premier League table this season.
Only Jamie Vardy and Sergio Aguero have scored more goals than Southampton striker Danny Ings in 2019/20. Ings has netted ten goals in his last 12 league appearances and the 27-year-old has been at the forefront of the south coast side’s recent resurgence.
Ings scored as Southampton and Palace played out a 1-1 draw at the end of December. Given the respective goalscoring records of both sides this season, we could see a repeat of that scoreline again on Tuesday.
Looking at Crystal Palace’s team news, new striker Cenk Tosun is expected to lead the line for the Eagles again following his impressive performance against Man City.
As for Southampton, Yan Valery is the Saints’ only confirmed injury problem. Hasenhuttl is expected to continue to rotate his side with the fixtures coming thick and fast.
Forebet predicts that Palace and Southampton are likely to share the points again. Both teams should score, but neither side is expected to find a winner.