Crystal Palace vs Wolverhampton Wanderers

Mid-table Crystal Palace will be looking to bridge the gap on in-form Wolverhampton Wanderers when the two sides lock horns in an intriguing Premier League encounter at Selhurst Park.

Crystal Palace stunned Manchester City 2-0 on the road last time out in one of the upsets of the Premier League season thus far to snap up a five-game winless league streak (D4, L1). An unexpected success at the Etihad presents the ‘Eagles’ with an opportunity to record back-to-back Premier League victories for the first time since January/February. One of the wins in that sequence came against Wolves at Selhurst Park, as Palace are now gunning for two consecutive home league triumphs over this opposition for the first time in the 21st century. Patrick Vieira has established Palace as the ‘stalemate specialists’ this season, with no team drawing more Premier League fixtures than them so far (6). However, the French manager hasn’t lost any of his first five top-flight home games in charge (W1, D4), setting an unprecedented feat in the club’s history.

In the meantime, Wolverhampton have gone from strength to strength of late, clocking up a promising five-match unbeaten Premier League streak (W4, D1) since a 2-0 home loss to Brentford in mid-September. Though they are riding on a four-game undefeated league run away from home (W3, D1), a trip to the capital threatens to knock Wolves down from their impressive road form. The men from the Midlands have suffered four defeats in their last seven Premier League visits to London (W2, D1), failing to get on the scoresheet on five occasions in the process. Hopes of avoiding another upset will hinge on their ability to prevent Palace from drawing first blood, as they’ve lost four of the five Premier League matches in which they conceded the opener this term (W1).