Tottenham travel to South London to continue their unbeaten start to the season against an average Crystal Palace side.
Tottenham will be playing a second consecutive London derby when Crystal Palace play host to this season’s surprise package. The Eagles have been efficient without being too flamboyant, and they will be hoping for a big scalp on Friday night.
Palace registered a win, defeat, and draw in their first three games of the season, but their campaign kicked into life with a thrilling 3-2 win at home to Wolves. Things could have got even better when they were on course for victory at Aston Villa, who roared back with three goals in the dying minutes to win the game.
Palace’s three games since then have ended in a clean sheet with goalless draws against Fulham and Nottingham Forest sandwiching a 1-0 win at Old Trafford via Joachim Andersen’s sweet first-half volley.
The latest draw with Forest in Roy Hodgson’s 400th game as a Premier League manager leaves Palace in ninth, and they will be hoping the new-found defensive balance will stand them in good stead when the league resumes with games against Newcastle and Spurs.
Palace was expansive and accessible on the eye when Hodson came out of retirement to return to the dugout. Still, they have been more pragmatic this season, with Michael Olise’s injury reducing their creativity on the park.
Four clean sheets and only two defeats from the first eight games is a very solid return that they can bank on to frustrate the attack-minded Spurs, yet goalscoring is a significant shortcoming with seven strikes so far.
At home, they have only lost to Arsenal by a single-goal margin and will pose a daunting threat to the Lilywhites.
Nevertheless, Tottenham won this same fixture 4-0 in January when a brace from Harry Kane helped them to a 4-0 win in South London. By the time they met in May, another strike from Kane helped his team to a 1-0 win that secured their first victory in five games.
This shows that Palace will have everything to do to stop Spurs, who have improved in leaps and bounds this term. Ange Postecoglou’s impact has been immediate at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as he instills a distinct attacking identity which fans can resonate with.
Brentford held Spurs to a draw in the opening game of the league campaign, but Manchester United and Bournemouth were beaten 2-0 in the following matches. Burnley and Sheffield United were their next victims in sensational fashion, but a draw at Arsenal and a late win over Liverpool showed their mettle.
That resolve was further tested in the 1-0 victory at Luton Town, where they had to play and win the game with one man down throughout the second half. The end of that game left Spurs at the top of the table, and they will be returning from the international break full of belief at what’s to come.
Up next is a trio of London derbies that may define the course of Tottenham’s season, and given how incredible their campaign is turning out to be, they will face the challenges head-on.
Indeed, they have won three of the last five meetings with Palace by at least three goals, but the Eagles also beat them 3-0 at Selhurst Park in September 2021.
They will have to work hard for a result and must put the energy the home crowd creates to good use.
Match tickets
This game will have the added intensity of being a Friday Night fixture scheduled for 27 October at 8 PM UK time. Crystal Palace vs Tottenham tickets have been available on each club’s website, but it can indeed be a sell-out given the occasion at Selhurst Park.
Derby games are a special event, and Palace hopes their crowd can make it memorable as they make their voices heard in the 25,486-seater stadium. Tottenham tickets may be challenging to purchase as official channels will be overwhelmed, hence, supporters will have to search for theirs on a ticket reselling site.
Team news
Palace has a depleted squad because of injuries, with Eberechi Eze joining an ever-growing list that includes Dean Henderson, Michael Olise, Cheick Doucoure, Joel Ward, and Jefferson Lerma. James Tomkins and Naouirou Ahamada are also unavailable, while Jeffrey Schlupp and Jairo Riedewald are the latest casualties forced off against Forest.
Matheus Franca is no longer injured but is still working his way back to match fitness before making his club debut. Meanwhile, Jesurun Rak-Sakyi came on and impressed after Schlupp’s injury and could earn a start should the Ghana international fail to recover.
Spurs do not have it better with absences, as Alfie Whiteman, Ivan Perisic, Ryan Sessegnon, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Manor Solomon are all ruled out for the long term.
Yves Bissouma should be returning after his suspension while Brennan Johnson should also be okay to play again after the international break.
Line-ups
Injuries will determine the Palace manager’s selection, and although we rarely see many changes to their starting 11, the ideas will remain the same as they aim to stifle Tottenham.
Expect a lot of counterattacks and set-piece threats from the hosts.
Crystal Palace: Johnstone; Ward, Andersen, Guehi, Mitchell; Hughes, Rak-Sakyi; Ayew, Eze, Edouard; Mateta
Spurs will be counting on their superior firepower to dismantle the hosts, which is easier said than done as they’ve proved a formidable side at home.
The Palace defense is their best hope in this game, and Spurs must be at their sharpest to punish any lack of concentration in a game that small margins should decide.
Tottenham: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Bissouma, Sarr; Kulusevski, Maddison, Richarlison; Son
Prediction
This is a match-up of defense versus attack as one of the top scorers this season takes on a very stingy outfit. Crystal Palace may be depleted, but they will back themselves to keep out the opponents and secure a respectable point at home.
Hitherto, the Spurs attack must be considered when considering the quality of James Maddison and Heung-Min Son.
Crystal Palace 1-1 Tottenham