Tottenham Hotspur hosts South London rivals Crystal Palace this weekend. Spurs seem to have turned a corner in recent weeks since their return from a COVID-19 spell in the wilderness. Time away from playing was spent well. The Lilywhites look almost unrecognizable in their two matches upon their return. Harry Kane seems back in form and Antonio Conte’s blueprint is showing up in the way that this side is playing.
In Crystal Palace, they face a side looking to do a league double over them for the first time. To give some context, this is their 46th match against one another. London derbies have not been kind to Spurs recently.
They have lost five of their last six clashes against local rivals. This is a trend that players, staff and fans alike want to see change immediately.
Tottenham vs Crystal Palace FYIs:
Kick-off time: 3 PM GMT, 26th December 2021
Spurs Starting XI Prediction: go here
Premier League Preview Podcast: go here
Form Guide (All Competitions): Tottenham (LWWDW) Crystal Palace (LLLWD)
Incredibly, the team news for Spurs is mostly positive, with almost all of their COVID-19 cases fully recovered. There are still question marks over Bryan Gil and youngster Dane Scarlett, but Spurs have listed both as 75% chances to play in this match.
Youngster Ryan Sessegnon will miss this one too. The young wide player suffered an injury in the clash with Liverpool. Antonio Conte had this to say post-match regarding Sessegnon’s injury:
“He had a [muscular] problem at the end of the game. We hope he recovers very soon, but for tomorrow, he’s not available. I think 10 days, two weeks.”
The only other injury concern is Cristian Romero. The Argentine center-back is on the long-term injury list and is not expected to be in contention for selection until the middle of January.
It’s incredible to say that Tottenham could have almost a full complement of players to choose from, so soon after COVID threatened to wreck their season. This should be an entertaining fixture, and I am picking Spurs to sneak a victory. Palace won’t make it easy for them though. Tottenham to win 2-1.