Crystal Palace Vs Leicester City

Selhurst Park is the venue as Crystal Palace and Leicester City go head-to-head in a crunch Premier League bottom-half encounter.

Crystal Palace’s life after Patrick Vieira was off to a disastrous start as leaders Arsenal thumped them 4-1 in an all-London match-up a fortnight ago, likely condemning them to a season-long fight against the drop. As the only side in the Premier League yet to win a top-flight fixture in 2023 (D5, L7), the ‘Eagles’ may have waited too long to sack Vieira. It’s now up to familiar associate Roy Hodgson to pick up the pieces and help Palace get off the mark in the new calendar year. Hodgson’s first assignment will be to halt Palace’s longest winless streak in competitive action since 1981 (13) when they ominously suffered relegation at the end of the season. Leicester’s visit may come in handy, given that the Londoners have only lost one of their last six league H2Hs at Selhurst Park (W2, D3).

It’s not like the visitors are brimming with confidence after a 1-1 away draw against Brentford on the stroke of the international break saw them arrest a woeful five-match losing run in all competitions. Under-fire Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers would be better off leading his charges to a first league triumph since a 4-1 demolition of Tottenham Hotspur in February if he’s to avoid meeting Vieira’s fate. However, it’s easier said than done, especially given a lack of firepower that’s seen the ‘Foxes’ net an alarmingly poor average of 0.4 goals per game across their last five league outings. Unfortunately for Rodgers, his men have been equally unimpressive on the other end of the pitch, as they’ll take the field as the only side in the Premier League yet to keep a clean sheet after the World Cup.