Crystal Palace are looking to record a third consecutive Premier League win and put an end to any relegation worries when they host Watford at Selhurst Park in London on Saturday. The reverse fixture ended goalless, a stalemate that came after three consecutive 2-1 victories for Watford against the Eagles. Overall, Watford have won three of the last six direct matches in all competitions, while Crystal Palace only managed to win one.
Crystal Palace can have a quiet season finale if they manage to beat Watford on Saturday, the Eagles are currently nine points clear of the relegation zone with ten matches left in the season. They have won their last two league matches, 1-0 at home against Newcastle and 1-0 at Brighton last week, a more than welcome winning combo after having suffered three consecutive losses before that. January loan signing Cenk Tosun suffered a serious knee injury in training and will most likely miss the rest of the season, while Mamadou Sakho, Jeffrey Schlupp and James Tomkins are sidelined for this match.
Watford pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the season last weekend as they defeated Premier League leaders Liverpool 3-0 at Vicarage Road, an amazing result coming after a streak of six matches without a win in all competitions. The three points were vital for the Hornets as they climbled out of the relegation zone, even though they are tied on 27 points with 18th-placed Bournemouth. Gerard Deulofeu picked up a knee injury during the Liverpool match and will miss the remainder of the season, while Craig Dawson is expected to miss Saturday's match through injury.
Probable line-ups:
Crystal Palace: Guaita - Ward, Dann, Cahill, Van Aanholt - Ayew, Kouyate, Milivojevic, McArthur, Zaha - Benteke
Watford: Foster - Femenia, Kabasele, Cathcart, Masina - Hughes, Capoue - Sarr, Doucoure, Pereyra - Deeney
My prediction:
Watford should be full of confidence after last week's result, and Crystal Palace might not be very determined after having secured those two consecutive wins, so I expect a 2-1 victory for the visitors.
Here are the odds for the match at NetBet:
Crystal Palace win - 2.63
Draw - 3.25
Watford win - 2.90
