Crystal Palace vs Leicester City. Premier League.
Selhurst ParkAttendance25,504.
Saturday 15 April 2017 07:44, UK
Crystal Palace and Leicester will look to move further away from the Premier League relegation zone when they go head to head on Saturday.
Palace's 3-0 win over Arsenal on Monday Night Football was their fifth Premier League victory in six games, and that run leaves them on 34 points - six above the relegation zone and with a game in hand over 18th-placed Swansea.
Sam Allardyce will hope his side can continue their impressive form against a Leicester team who have earned just one away win all season.
The Foxes have themselves risen dramatically up the table with Craig Shakespeare guiding them to six straight wins in all competitions.
However, a narrow loss to Everton was followed by defeat at Atletico Madrid, whom they face in the Champions League quarter-final return leg on Tuesday.
Team news
Patrick van Aanholt is in contention to return on Saturday having recovered from an ankle injury, but Allardyce is expected to name an unchanged team.
Captain Wes Morgan is out for Leicester's trip to Palace as Shakespeare tries to save him for the Champions League, although he is still rated at 50-50.
Shakespeare is likely to rest some players ahead of their European clash and Jamie Vardy, Christian Fuchs and Yohan Benalouane could all be kept fresh. Nampalys Mendy has an ankle injury.
Opta stats
Crystal Palace have alternated between victory and defeat in their four home Premier League games against Leicester, keeping a clean sheet in each win and failing to score in each defeat.
After winning just one of their first six Premier League games against Crystal Palace (D1 L4), Leicester have since won the last three in a row.
Indeed, this is the first time Leicester have won three in a row against the Eagles in all competitions since March 1925 - they've never won four consecutively against them.
Sam Allardyce has won his last two home games against reigning Premier League champions as a manager, beating Manchester City with West Ham in 2014-15 and beating Chelsea with Sunderland in 2015-16.
Crystal Palace have won five of their last six Premier League matches (L1). Before this run, they had won five games in 26 attempts in the Premier League.
Both Crystal Palace and Leicester have won 15 of a possible 18 points in their last six Premier League games - the only side to have won more points in their last six PL matches are Spurs (18).
Merson's prediction
This may come back to haunt me but I'll say it anyway, the biggest cert of the whole weekend is Crystal Palace winning this game. They need to as well because their upcoming fixtures are ruthless.
Leicester are still in their Champions League tie and will have an eye on Atletico Madrid. There's no doubt about that.
I think Shakespeare will rest players and it will be similar to the Everton game.
PAUL PREDICTS: 2-0 (Sky Bet odds 13/2)
Betting
Crystal Palace are Sky Bet's 5/6 favourites for the victory with Leicester 100/30 outsiders while the draw is priced at 5/2. Christian Benteke heads the first goalscorer betting at 9/2 with Vardy considered the visitors' main threat at 13/2 to net first, while the strike duo are 7/1 to both find the net.
