Tottenham Hotspur vs Crystal Palace – Preview

An early scare in our first Europa League outing didn’t stop Spurs seeing off Azerbaijani champions Qarabag, and now Mauricio Pochettino’s men look to secure their first home win back in the Premier League.

Thursday night’s victory was just what we needed, and the manner of it helps carry the momentum picked up in last week’s win over Sunderland. Dele Alli continued to show how much of a bright young talent he is, combining with summer signing Heung-Min Son well. Erik Lamela followed up a good display last Sunday with another on the European stage; despite being frustrating, he never shied away from the game and his tenacious persistence paid off, scoring a delicious chip to wrap up the points.

This weekend, we host a Crystal Palace side who have uncharacteristically began the campaign brightly, picking up three wins from a possible five thus far. Alan Pardew has managed to ensure the Eagles are now firmly a Premier League outfit, and has got them playing some good football to go with it.

With Wilfried Zaha and reported Tottenham target Yannick Bolasie on the flanks, expect Palace to utilise pacey counter attacks to perfection; the fact they have Yohan Cabaye in the middle of the park is a bonus.

Despite never being a mainstay in the top flight, we have struggled against the South Londoners in recent times…

Crystal Palace 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur (10/01/2015, Premier League)

Lackadaisical defending gifted Crystal Palace the points on Alan Pardew’s return to Selhurst Park. Spurs took the lead shortly after half time, with in-form Harry Kane’s low driven shot finding the very corner of the net.

A goal to the good against a side without a win in eight surely pointed towards a Tottenham win – the key word in that sentence is “Tottenham”.

With the jury still out concerning the signing of Benjamin Stambouli, the Frenchman didn’t help his case when he fouled Joe Ledley in the box, allowing Dwight Gayle to score the resulting penalty.

A series of late 2-1 wins had quickly become a cliché at Tottenham, and so with twenty minutes to go, young adults up and down the country quickly lumped sums on Spurs to complete this feat again.

Needless to say then that Jason Puncheon won it for Palace with ten minutes to go.

Spursy.

Tottenham Hotspur 0-0 Crystal Palace (06/01/2014, Premier League)

A highly forgettable encounter, Tottenham managed to have 68% possession and 14 shots yet still feel lucky to escape with a point. Puncheon hit the bar in what was the only notable chance, and Bolasie provided a moment of magic when his great skill was vined and recorded throughout the world of social media.

Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Crystal Palace (11/01/2014, Premier League)

Jermain Defoe netted his final goal in lilywhite as Spurs did well to see off Tony Pulis’s Crystal Palace. Christian Eriksen had opened proceedings just five minutes into the second half, as the Dane truly began his ascent in North London under Tim Sherwood. Nabil Bentaleb, who was fairly unknown and questionably scapegoated at the time, hit the bar in the first half with an almighty drive from 30 yards – sadly, we haven’t seen a lot more of that from the Algerian.

Today, Palace are being tipped by many to push for a top seven finish, and their threat shouldn’t (and most likely won’t) be taken lightly.

I expect Kyle Walker and Jan Vertonghen to return to the defence, whilst Ben Davies will probably be given the nod ahead of Danny Rose in order to nullify the threat posed by Zaha.

Our midfield crisis continues, with Eric Dier and Ryan Mason battling for fitness ahead of Sunday’s game. Mousa Dembele and Christian Eriksen could return, but they’re both doubts.

Eriksen’s likely absence will allow Erik Lamela and Dele Alli to continue their good runs in the team, whilst Heung-Min Son looks set to make his Premier League bow at White Hart Lane.

Up top, Harry Kane is the only viable option, and it’s only a meter of time before he breaks his duck.

A win here could lift us above Palace – what crisis?

Predicted XI: Lloris; Walker, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Davies; Dier, Mason; Lamela, Alli, Son; Kane