The Premier League returns with midweek matches following the FA Cup fourth round. On Tuesday night, Crystal Palace will welcome cross-town rival West Ham at Selhurst Park.
West Ham are on a three-match winning streak and are unbeaten in five straight matches overall. The Hammers are in seventh place and just two points off of the top four going into matchday 20.
Five wins in a row ⚒We push on ✊#MondayMotivation pic.twitter.com/jLn61B61VX— West Ham United (@WestHam) January 25, 2021
Five wins in a row ⚒We push on ✊#MondayMotivation pic.twitter.com/jLn61B61VX
David Moyes’ Hammers drew 1-1 with Crystal Palace when they met back in December at the London Stadium. Crystal Palace’s Christian Benteke scored in the first half to give the Eagles the lead. Sebastien Haller, who has since been sold to Ajax, levelled the scoreline in the second period for the draw.
Crystal Palace are winless in back-to-back games in the league. They are in 13th place heading into matchday 20 and 11 points above the relegation zone. As it stands, relegation is not a worry for Roy Hodgson. However, the Eagles need to pick up points to assure they move away from the drop.
The Eagles are unbeaten in four straight league matches versus West Ham. They took eight points from 12 possible against West Ham during those four matches.
Hodgson has eight players on the injury list. The biggest loss for the midweek match could be Wilfried Zaha. The winger sustained a knee injury recently and is a doubt for the fixture versus West Ham.
Cheikhou Kouyate could miss the match as well. He is listed as having “personal issues”. Connor Wickham, Jeffrey Schlupp, Mamadou Sakho, Martin Kelly, Nathan Ferguson, and Wayne Hennessey are all ruled out for the matchday 20 fixture.
Moyes will be without defender Arthur Masuaku due to a knee injury. Goalkeeper Darren Randolph is nursing a knock which could keep him from suiting up for the Hammers.
West Ham are coming off of a 4-0 win in the FA Cup fourth round against Doncaster Rovers. The Hammers will now face off with Manchester United in the FA Cup fifth round following their weekend win.
The Hammers are unbeaten in back-to-back away matches, securing four points from six possible. Although they have conceded 11 goals away from home, they have tallied 12.
Crystal Palace are in good form at home with four points from six possible. They have been outscored 15-11 at Selhurst Park. While the Eagles have been good against West Ham in recent seasons, they should struggle.
West Ham should continue their excellent form with a win versus Crystal Palace. They could move closer to the top four depending on results elsewhere. Expect this game to finish with under 2.5 goals in a low-scoring affair.