Newcastle vs Crystal Palace – Match Preview
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Both Newcastle and Crystal Palace will feel that they are just one win away from securing Premier League survival for the season and with the two clubs squaring off this Saturday, they will each identify this clash as the game which will book them another campaign in the English top flight.
These two sides currently find themselves in the relative sanctity of mid-table at present and that is not the only thing that they have in common as of late, the other similarity being the fact that the Magpies and the Eagles were up against North London based opposition earlier in the week.
For Newcastle, it was a trip to the Emirates and a meeting with high-flying Arsenal – one that they found themselves on the losing end of, as Gunners boss Unai Emery won the battle of the Spanish master tacticians against Rafael Benitez.
While for Crystal Palace, it was they who made football history on Wednesday night. They were the guests for Tottenham’s housewarming party and thankfully for Mauricio Pochettino, there was to be no disruption of the celebrations.
Roy Hodgson’s men had few chances to get the better of Spurs and although the hosts were certainly nervy in the opening 45 minutes, it was more a case of not if but when they would eventually find themselves in front.
Something that took place just after the restart when Heung min-Son’s deflected effort nestled into the net and subsequently relieved the tension within Tottenham’s new surroundings, while although it was a comfortable win the end, it summed up Palace’s inconsistency.
An issue that has arguably dogged them all season and especially in their last six league outings. For each of their three wins that they have recently recorded, they have then managed to follow that up with a defeat.
While it is the tendency to blow hot and cold which has meant that Palace have never really threatened the top half of the table and you would have to say that their current league placing is a fair indication of how the club have performed this season.
Their second away game in a row sees them go up against a Newcastle side who have perhaps cooled as of late in terms of league form, but thankfully for them they earned enough positive results at the start of the year to absorb this small dip in form.
If Newcastle do manage to finish outside the bottom three as expected, then whether they finish 12th or 17th is almost an irrelevance. Yes, the additional prize money would be great for the club, but survival has always been the overriding objective to achieve.
While it could well be that these are the final few games in charge for Rafael Benitez at Newcastle, due to the former Liverpool boss not being backed in the transfer market and if that proves to be the case, he will undoubtedly be granted hero status on Tyneside on his departure.
A status that could be confirmed this Saturday when they play host to Palace, there’s not a great deal to choose between these two sides and this is reflected in the league table. However, with home advantage on their side, Newcastle might manage a win in this one.
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