Two of the Premier League’s lowest scoring sides go head-to-head on Saturday as Crystal Palace welcome Watford to Selhurst Park.
Only Newcastle and Norwich have scored fewer goals than Palace and Watford in 2019/20, so this game is set to be a tight encounter.
The Eagles come into this match on the back of consecutive 1-0 victories. Roy Hodgson’s side beat Newcastle a fortnight ago before claiming another slender win over Brighton last time out.
Prior to their recent wins, Palace were without in seven Premier League games. Three straight defeats saw Palace drop to 14, but Hodgson’s men are back up the 12th.
The South London outfit are now nine points clear of the bottom three, so relegation is surely out of the question this season. Meanwhile, Palace are nine points off the top four, so a mid-table finish is on the cards.
On the other hand, 17th-place Watford are only out of the bottom three on goal difference. West Ham above and Bournemouth below also have 27 points, but the Hornets boast a slightly better goal difference than the Cherries.
However, Watford’s remarkable 3-0 win over Liverpool last weekend will have filled the squad with plenty of confidence for the relegation battle ahead.
Following Nigel Pearson’s appointment, Watford went on a six-game unbeaten run. But the Hornets hadn’t won any of their five games leading up to the Liverpool victory.
Ismaila Sarr played a starring role in the win over the Reds – netting two goals and assisting Troy Deeney for Watford’s third. The young winger now has four goals and four assists in his last eight appearances.
Watford’s away form has really let them down this season. The Hornets have only managed to win two of their last 18 games on the road in all competitions.
By contrast, Crystal Palace have only lost five of their 14 home games in the Premier League this season – winning five and drawing four.
Having said that, Palace’s backline will put tested this weekend as James Tomkins, Jeffrey Schlupp, Mamadou Sakho are all out injured. At the other end of the pitch, on-loan striker Cenk Tosun is set to miss the rest of the season with a knee problem.
As for Watford, key winger Gerard Deulofeu picked up an ACL injury against Liverpool, but Daryl Janmaat could after a lengthy layoff.
Watford’s dismal away record means Crystal Palace are the favourites heading into this game. However, Palace are averaging less than one goal per game at home this season, so a 1-0 victory is looking likely.
Forebet predicts that Crystal Palace will claim a narrow win while also keeping a clean sheet.