Crystal Palace will take on Manchester City in the 4th round of the FA Cup which will be played in the weekend thus pushing the Premier League fixtures to midweek. Crystal Palace haven’t had it easy by any means this year and even after Sam Allardyce came in, the win in the League has remained elusive.
The Eagles had stagnated and actually gone back a few steps under Alan Pardew and it was imperative the board sacked the former Newcastle boss before he could be involved in a few more premature chicken dances in matches his teams would eventually lose. With just 6 wins in the entirety of last year, the fans would have hoped for a better start to this one.
The exact problem with the Eagles is not identifiable which has made Allardyce’s job harder and he will hope he gets the rub of the green in the coming days to get going.
Palace are making a number of signings and Big Sam will be hoping they gel with the group and help in a quick turnaround. And although even Manchester City are not in the best of forms, they will be considered outright favourites which might just suit the Eagles perfectly.
It is expected to be an entertaining match and Palace will be looking to get at the extremely brittle City backline.
PREDICTED CRYSTAL PALACE XI VS MANCHESTER CITY (4-2-3-1)
DEFENCE
Hennessey is likely to remain in goal and will be braced for a busy 90 minutes against the usually sprightly City side. Sam Allardyce might revert to four at the back with Joel Ward likely to come in at right back after being left on the bench against Everton. The central defensive pair might be that of Tomkins and Dann with Delaney getting a rest ahead of the Premier League match. Jeffrey Schlupp might continue at left-back.
MIDFIELD
Palace might go with a defensive outlook and employ Joe Ledley and James McArthur in the double pivot. These two are capable of taking the extra workload and will give better protection to the defence. City usually tend to dominate in midfield and Ledley has to be at the opposition players all game and not let them settle. Yohan Cabaye can be in the No.10 role and his industry going back and creativity going forward will give them a balance.
ATTACK
Chung-Yong Lee might start on the left-hand side on the wings with Puncheon on the right. City’s defence is their weakest point and a spirited effort in the opposite half by these two along with Cabaye and Benteke, who is likely to lead the line, can work wonders.
