Crystal Palace welcome Newcastle United to Selhurst Park for Friday’s sole Premier League game, with both teams looking to make their way up the table.
The Eagles currently sit in 11th place, while Newcastle are down in 15th – two points behind Roy Hodgson’s side.
Crystal Palace made a strong start to the 2020/21 campaign, securing back-to-back victories over Southampton and Manchester United.
However, Palace have only managed to pick up two wins in their subsequent seven outings, with one draw and four defeats coming along the way.
Hodgson’s men returned to winning ways before the international break with a thumping 4-1 victory over Leeds, yet they handed Burnley their first win of the season last time out.
Despite enjoying the majority of possession and racking up 15 shots (five on target) at Turf Moor, the Eagles were eventually beaten 1-0 for the Clarets.
With five goals and two assists to his name, it is no surprise that Wilfried Zaha is Palace’s most productive player this term.
However, Palace are yet to keep a clean sheet in the Premier League this season, so they must sort out their issues at the other end of the pitch.
Meanwhile, Newcastle head into Friday’s clash on the back of consecutive 2-0 defeats to Southampton and Chelsea.
Victories over West Ham, Burnley and Everton have kept the Magpies afloat this season, but there is no hiding from the fact that Newcastle have suffered four defeats in their opening nine games.
Trends show that Newcastle have struggled on the road in the recent games. In fact, they have only managed to win one of their last seven away outings in the Premier League.
Steve Bruce’s side have also failed to keep a clean sheet this term, conceding 15 goals in nine games so far.
Callum Wilson has scored six goals in eight games following his move from Bournemouth, contributing 60% of the Magpies’ league goals this term.
Head-to-head: Both sides claimed a 1-0 home victory over each other season, maintaining the trend of a low-scoring fixture.
Indeed, each of the last seven meetings between these teams have produced under 2.5 goals, with five 1-0 scorelines coming along the way.
Team news: Crystal Palace could be missing star man Wilfried Zaha on Friday, with midfielder Luka Millivojevic is also an injury doubt.
Newcastle could be without as many as eight first-team players for the trip to London, with first-choice goalkeeper Martin Dubravka still sidelined.
Given the recent record between these two sides, this is likely to be a low-scoring encounter with very few clear-cut chances.
Forebet predicts that Crystal Palace and Newcastle will produce a low-scoring draw, with 1-1 being the most likely scoreline.