Tottenham Hotspur vs Crystal Palace

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is the venue as Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace lock horns in an all-London Premier League showdown.

Relieved of FA Cup duties, Tottenham have had two weeks to rest and prepare for this fixture as they seek redemption for a 2-1 home loss to Wolverhampton last time out. Palace’s visit to North London is what the doctor ordered for Spurs, considering they’ve won eight consecutive H2Hs they’ve hosted, including seven ‘to nil.’ Another shutout would be most welcome by manager Ange Postecoglou, whose men haven’t kept a clean sheet in their last nine league outings, not to mention conceded 2+ goals in four out of five in 2024. Plugging defensive leaks is Postecoglou’s number-one priority as he can’t afford a slip-up, with fourth-placed Aston Villa already five points away. Interestingly, none of Tottenham’s 13 Premier League home games this season have ended level (W9, L4), suggesting it’ll likely be ‘all or nothing.’

Nothing wasn’t what new Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner had in mind on his touchline debut last weekend as the Eagles thrashed Burnley 3-0 at home to end a disappointing three-game winless run in the Premier League (D1, L2). But there’s no room for complacency in the traveling camp as they start this round eight points clear of the drop zone, largely thanks to their unimpressive away form. You’d need to go back to November for Palace’s last league victory on the road, with the Londoners since stringing seven straight top-flight travels without a win (D3, L4). Since all but one of those matches saw both teams on the scoresheet, the visitors should feel relatively comfortable about defying their long-standing scoring woes at Tottenham.