Crystal Palacevs.Brentford

With just one point and one position separating the two sides in the standings, the hosts could move above the Bees with a win.

Match preview

After a frustrating start to the season, in which Palace failed to win any of their opening eight Premier League fixtures, the hosts have hit their stride in recent weeks.

Palace come into this clash unbeaten in their last six matches in all competitions, with their last defeat coming at home to Arsenal just before Christmas.

Oliver Glasner's side have claimed 11 points out of a possible 15 over that period, and they also progressed in the third round of the FA Cup with a victory over Stockport County.

Despite their upturn in fortunes, Palace will be looking to improve on their disappointing home record in the Premier League, with only four sides performing worse than the Eagles in their home fixtures so far in the league.

One of their key strengths this season has been their defence, with the hosts conceding 28 goals in their 22 league matches so far this season.

However, they have struggled to capitalise on their strong defensive record, as their attack has only scored 25 goals in the league, with only relegation candidates Leicester City, Ipswich Town, Everton and Southampton having less joy in front of goal.

On top of this, only Ipswich and Southampton have scored less times in front of their own fans than Palace, with the Eagles currently on 10 home goals.

They will fancy their chances of improving both their scoring and home record against a Brentford side that have struggled on the road, having won just once away from home in the Premier League all season.

That sole triumph came in their last away match, with the Bees taking out a season's worth of frustration on their travels by thumping sorry Southampton 5-0 at St Mary's.

Thankfully for the visitors, they are compensating for their miserable away record with the third-best home record in the division.

Despite not having a fantastic record on the road this year, Brentford may welcome the change of scenery, having lost four out of their last five matches at home in all competitions.

It has been a difficult stretch for the Bees lately, as they have just one win in their past nine matches in all competitions - a run that has seen them fall from seventh to 12th in the Premier League, and also crash out of the FA Cup in the third round.

In contrast to their hosts, Thomas Frank's side have one of the attacking units in the league, with the Bees netting 40 times in their 22 matches this season - with both Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa already into double figures in the scoring charts.

As the table suggests, the two sides are evenly matched, and they have both finished in the top half of the Premier League in recent memory.

Should there be a winner at Selhurst Park this weekend, then that side will be positioning themselves to achieve that once again this time around.

Crystal Palace Premier League form:

L

D

W

D

W

W

Crystal Palace form (all competitions):

D

W

D

W

W

W

Brentford Premier League form:

L

D

L

W

D

L

Brentford form (all competitions):

D

L

W

L

D

L

Team News

Jefferson Lerma is a doubt for the hosts after being out of action due to a recent illness, while Adam Wharton is out due to a groin injury.

Elsewhere, Matheus Franca is also out of this contest, as he continues his recovery from a broken rib, while Chadi Riad and Cheick Doucoure will also miss out due to injuries.

Meanwhile, Brentford have a couple of doubts ahead of this match, with Igor Thiago recently sidelined due to a knee injury and Gustavo Nunes is nursing a back injury.

In better news for the visitors, they have been handed a boost, as Kristoffer Ajer is expected to make the squad this weekend following six weeks out with an ankle injury.

Elsewhere, Ethan Pinnock (knock), Aaron Hickey (hamstring) and Joshua Dasilva (knee) remain long-term absentees for the Bees.

In further disappointing news for the visitors, youngster Ryan Trevitt is a doubt for this fixture due to a calf injury.

Crystal Palace possible starting lineup:

Henderson; Mitchell, Guehi, Lacroix, Richards, Munoz; Kamada, Hughes, Sarr, Eze; Mateta

Brentford possible starting lineup:

Flekken; Lewis-Potter, Collins, van den Berg, Roerslev; Yarmolyuk, Norgaard, Janelt, Damsgaard; Wissa, Mbeumo

We say: Crystal Palace 1-1 Brentford

There is little to separate the two sides in the standings and we think that this will show on the pitch on Sunday too.

Written by

Tom Humphrey

Previews by email