At one point of time, Crystal Palace seemingly appeared to be a side which were going to face the axe of relegation. However, with 4 wins in their last 5 league games, Sam Allardyce & co. have completely turned their fortunes and are currently placed 16th in the league table, 3 points ahead of the dropout zone with a game in hand.
After a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Southampton, they host a struggling Arsenal side at the Selhurst Park on Tuesday and here are three players who really need to step up to ensure that the Eagles put up a commendable fight.
Wilfried Zaha
After all the hype and subsequent failures to live up to the same until this season, Wilfried Zaha has finally unleashed himself under the tutelage of Sam Allardyce. The 24-year-old has banged in 6 goals and garnered 7 assists to his name already in what is turning out to be a successful season for him.
Nonetheless, in Arsenal, he faces a daunting opponent who are going to leave no stone unturned to stop him. However, Zaha needs to outclass them with his dribbles, aim for meticulous crosses and have a shy at the goal by cutting inside to construct a realistic chance of survival for his side.
Christian Benteke
Talented hitman, Christian Benteke, has registered a decent season for Crystal Palace, having scored 11 goals and registering 2 assists in 28 appearances in the top flight of English football. He would need to breeze past Arsenal’s defence which has been quite sporadic of late and put them on their back foot early into the game.
The Belgian needs to pile pressure by making surging runs, test their goalkeeper from the edge of the box and make his presence felt up front. He was on the scoresheet at St. Mary’s and without any shadow of a doubt, he does need to continue the same trend when his side host Wenger’s troops.
Mamadou Sakho
The Eagles leaked three goals against Southampton and that might be a worryingly awful omen for the London-based outfit. One of their standout performers in the second part of the season has been their January transfer window’s loan signing, Mamadou Sakho.
The Frenchman has a huge test lying ahead of him as he needs to face the flamboyance of Alexis Sanchez, the creativity of Mesut Ozil and the predatory instincts of someone like Danny Welbeck or Olivier Giroud. Sakho needs to stay alarmed and win the physical battles and push out the Gunners.
Statistics Credits: WhoScored.com
