Palace and Leicester City go head-to-head in search for maiden PL win.

2024-09-15

As Crystal Palace seeks their first victory of the season, they welcome Leicester City to Selhurst Park for a clash of two teams eager to escape the early throes of the Premier League's lower echelons.

Crystal Palace

Palace were left without a victory before the international break after a 1-1 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Nicolas Jackson struck five minutes before the half-hour mark with an easy tap-in from close range. However, Palace restored parity in the 53rd minute after a fabulous right-footed effort from the highly sought-after Eberechi Eze rattled the back of the net from outside the box.

The draw earned Palace their first point of the new campaign, putting an end to back-to-back Premier League defeats. Oliver Glasner was delighted with the performance despite insurmountable challenges in the form of injuries and player unavailability.

While in 16th place with only a point, Palace will be looking to earn their maiden victory of the season when Leicester City come calling at Selhurst Park. They have defeated the visitors nine times, a record high among every other side they have faced, and will be keen to add another victory to the tally.

Glasner is expected to keep three at the back once again in a 3-4-2-1 formation, leaving Jean-Philippe Mateta in attack. Daichi Kamada could team up with Eberechi Eze right behind the Frenchman. Meanwhile, Adam Wharton could be on his way back following a thigh injury.

Leicester City

A second home game failed to spur Leicester City on to a maiden win as they suffered a 2-1 loss to Aston Villa. This defeat left the Foxes with back-to-back losses and without a Premier League win since their return to the top flight after three games [DLL].

With a point on board like Saturday’s opponents, Leicester City are one spot above the Eagles, positioned in 15th place due to a slightly better goal difference. While it may be too early to label this as a bottom-table clash, a defeat could lead to successive losses against Crystal Palace for Leicester City, following a similar 2-1 loss in April 2023.

A 4-2-3-1 formation with Jamie Vardy in attack is expected for this fixture. On loan, Odsonne Edouard is ineligible to play against his parent club and will have to sit this one out, while Jakub Stolarczyk and Patson Daka are both ruled out due to ankle injuries.

Abdul Fatawu and Jordan Ayew, who both featured for Ghana in the 1-1 draw against Niger in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifying round on Monday, are expected to return to the squad.