Sam Allardyce made his Premier League return with Crystal Palace as he replaced Alan Pardew in the Selhurst Park hot-seat. He has managed the Eagles in two Premier League games till now and is yet to taste a win. His reign started with a 1-1 draw against Watford which the South London club should have won. However, they were poor against Arsenal on Sunday as they lost the game 2-0. Allardyce has the perfect chance to win his first game in charge of Palace when his side take on the bottom of the table Swansea City on Tuesday night.
Swansea City are at rock bottom and their recent performances suggest that their season could end in an early relegation. Two managers, Francesco Guidolin and Bob Bradley, have been sacked by the Swans and reports suggest that Paul Clement is going to be the next in charge. Swansea are on the back of a 4-game losing streak and will find it hard to stop Palace, a team they beat frantically in the reverse fixture.
Here is the predicted Crystal Palace lineup against Swansea City.
Defence
With first-choice keeper Steve Mandanda out with a knee injury, Wayne Hennessey will keep his place between the sticks. Martin Kelly will keep his place at right-back. We expect skipper Scott Dann and James Tomkins to pair up at the heart of the defence. Joel Ward will start at left-back. Defensive flaws were one of the biggest reasons why Pardew could not impress at the club but Allardyce has always been known for his compact defensive organisation. We can expect Crystal Palace to improve a lot defensively in coming weeks as they settle under Big Sam.
Midfield
With James McArthur and Joe Ledley out with calf injuries, Palace are likely to stick to the same midfield trio. Mathieu Flamini will keep his place at the base of midfield. Jason Puncheon and Yohan Cabaye will start as the two box to box midfielders offering the creativity to the side.
Swansea are a poor side when it comes to defending and the two midfielders will be looking to break down their defence with their passing and movement.
Attack
Wilfred Zaha has been the best player for Palace this season after improving remarkably on his end product. Zaha will keep his place on the left flank. Andros Townsend will keep his place on the right. Christian Benteke will be eager to return to scoring ways when he’ll start up front.
