Crystal Palace will be looking to make it three straight Premier League victories when they travel to Villa Park on Sunday afternoon to take on Aston Villa.
The Eagles will enter the contest off the back of a 1-0 win over Watford last weekend, while Villa suffered a 2-1 defeat to title-challenging Liverpool on Tuesday night.
Match preview
© Reuters
Villa have won 13, drawn four and lost 18 of their 35 Premier League matches this season to collect 43 points, which has left them in 12th position in the table ahead of their final three games.
Steven Gerrard's side could still finish in the top half of the division but are only three points ahead of 15th-placed Southampton, so a lot could change in terms of their league position before the end of the season.
Villa managed to pick up seven points from their three matches against Leicester City, Norwich City and Burnley between April 23 and May 7, but they suffered a 2-1 home defeat to Liverpool on Tuesday.
Gerrard's side now have back-to-back home games against Palace and Burnley before finishing their campaign away to the champions Manchester City on May 22, which could be crucial in terms of the title.
Villa, who have only picked up 21 points from their 17 home matches this season, beat Palace 2-1 in the reverse match at Selhurst Park earlier this term, while they also recorded a 3-0 victory when the two teams last locked horns at Villa Park back in December 2020.
© Reuters
Patrick Vieira has made a strong impression since arriving as Palace manager last July, leading the Eagles to the semi-finals of the FA Cup, while they are in the mix for a top-half finish.
The capital outfit will bring a three-game unbeaten run into this match, drawing with Leeds United on April 25 before beating Southampton 2-1 and Watford 1-0 in their last two fixtures, which has left them in 11th in the table on 44 points.
Palace will face Villa, Everton and Manchester United in their final three league matches of the campaign, and it will be fascinating to see where they finish, as the Eagles are only three points behind ninth-placed Brighton & Hove Albion with a game in hand.
Vieira's side have collected 18 points from their 17 away Premier League games this term, although they have not won at Villa Park in England's top flight since December 2013.
Palace have never finished higher than 10th in the Premier League, so it could be a famous season for the club, who are looking to make it three straight league wins for the first time this term.
- L
- L
- D
- W
- W
- L
- W
- L
- L
- D
- W
- W
- L
- L
- L
- D
- W
- W
Team News
© Reuters
Villa will again be missing Kortney Hause and Leon Bailey through injury, but Jacob Ramsey could be in the squad, having recently returned to full first-team training with his teammates.
Ollie Watkins is expected to shake off the ankle problem that forced him off against Liverpool, and head coach Gerrard is unlikely to make many changes from Tuesday's fixture.
Fresh from agreeing a permanent move to the club, Philippe Coutinho will again feature in an attacking position, while Douglas Luiz and John McGinn should be joined in midfield by Marvelous Nakamba.
Palace will have to make a late check on Marc Guehi, who was forced off against Watford last weekend, so James Tomkins is on standby to feature in the middle of the defence.
Nathan Ferguson remains a long-term absentee due to a thigh problem, while Vicente Guaita is a major doubt due to the injury that forced him to sit out the victory over Watford.
Vieira has plenty of options for change, but the side is expected to be similar to the one that took to the field for the first whistle against the Hornets, with Wilfried Zaha again being joined by Michael Olise and Odsonne Edouard in the final third of the field.
Aston Villa possible starting lineup:
Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne; Luiz, Nakamba, McGinn; Coutinho; Ings, Watkins
Crystal Palace possible starting lineup:
Butland; Clyne, Andersen, Tomkins, Mitchell; Gallagher, Hughes, Eze; Olise, Edouard, Zaha
We say: Aston Villa 1-1 Crystal Palace
Palace will enter this match full of confidence, but Villa had also been on a strong run before the setback against Liverpool. There is not an awful lot between the two teams, demonstrated by the league table, and we can see the pair playing out a low-scoring draw on Sunday afternoon.
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Aston Villa win with a probability of 43.05%. A win for Crystal Palace had a probability of 31.06% and a draw had a probability of 25.9%.
The most likely scoreline for an Aston Villa win was 1-0 with a probability of 10.33%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.93%) and 2-0 (7.49%). The likeliest Crystal Palace win was 0-1 (8.49%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.31%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 12.3% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole correctly predicted a 1-1 draw for this match.
Top tip
Matt Law
