If Crystal Palace are going to get out of the relegation dogfight, they need to find a rapid solution. A win against a 10th-placed Bournemouth side who feel increasingly on holiday will be a major barometer of their chances for survival.
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Eddie Howe comes into this one having seen his team lose only twice in six, but win a mere once. Their mediocre, patchy form throughout the season has been a noose around their necks. This has also seen many players like Jordon Ibe, Lewis Cook and Josh King play with the inconsistency one would expect of players in their age group.
For Bournemouth, it’s the solidity of Simon Francis, Steve Cook and Nathan Ake at the back that has been so important recently. With top scorer Callum Wilson only on six goals, it’s vital that Bournemouth capitalise on the opportunities they tend to miss this time around.
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Palace come into this one on a shocking run of form. Five losses out of six means they are in a position where wins become very important. The impressive form of James Tomkins, Luka Milivojevic and Wilfried Zaha has been essential to their chances of success.
The poor form of Mama Sakho and Yohan Cabaye, though, has not helped. Add in the inconsistency of the likes of Christian Benteke and Wayne Hennessey and it’s hard to make an immediate call about Palace. It really does depend on which team turns up.
Key Match-Up
The deciding factor in this match will be the way Danny Pugh and Charlie Daniels handle Andros Townsend and Aaron Wan-Bissaka. The latter has been a revelation since breaking through, and has been an essential part of most of Palace’ best performances. This four-way bout should go some way to helping determine the result here.
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