At the Palace, match facts and a video
I do enjoy Saturday football, especially after a win the weekend before. I should know better, but I'm still blinded by hope and optimism because that is what the game is based on. It's why we all feel a little different when we get up on a Saturday morning.
And this isn't different to any other Saturday, but imagine if we won. Think about how that might make you feel right now. It's nice right.
But we have to go into the match with our sensible heads on. Palace have played Arsenal and Liverpool picking up a point. I'm not sure I'd predict with a great degree of confidence that we'd get a point in those two matches.
But we did win last weekend, albeit against a side that I fancy will be one of the first to get a new manager this season. But again, a win is a win and it doesn't matter how we get it. Today will be a little different but I suspect if we win, I might be thinking again, it's the win that matters.
So not knowing much about Palace this season, it's time to prepare for the match. That means cutting the grass, checking on my fantasy team and getting some beer in. I might even have time for a BBQ and a little nap before the fight later.
Someone will be back with the team news, I'll try to be first. Until then, some match facts and a video. And surely Buendia starts?
Match facts from the BBC
Head-to-head
- An eighth Premier League win in this fixture for Crystal Palace would equal their most against a particular opponent, having beaten Leicester on that many occasions.
- Villa won last season's corresponding fixture 2-1 in Steven Gerrard's second game in charge and can earn consecutive league away victories against the Eagles for the first time.
Crystal Palace
- Palace are the only club to have faced top-six sides from last season in both of their opening two fixtures of 2022-23, losing 2-0 at home to Arsenal and drawing with Liverpool.
- They have lost their opening two home games of a Premier League campaign on five occasions, the joint-most by any club alongside Sunderland and West Ham.
- Their only home league defeat last season against a team who finished in the bottom half of the table came at the hands of Aston Villa.
- Wilfried Zaha has 10 Premier League goals in 2022 and is two short of equalling Luka Milivojevic's club record of 12 in a calendar year.
- Zaha has scored one goal and not provided any assists in 12 Premier League appearances versus Villa.
Aston Villa
- Victory over Everton last weekend was only Villa's third in 13 league games (D3, L7).
- Steven Gerrard's side have only won once in six away league matches (D1, L4). They could lose and fail to score in their two opening away games of a top-flight campaign for the first time since 2002.
- Villa lost five of their six matches in London last season, with the exception being a 2-1 win at Crystal Palace.
- Danny Ings has opened the scoring in an unrivalled 20 Premier League games since the start of the 2019-20 campaign.
- Philippe Coutinho has only scored one goal and made no assists in his last 13 league appearances. His rival for a starting place, Emiliano Buendia, has three goals and two assists in eight matches.
Comments