Tottenham Hotspur have gotten off to an excellent start in the Premier League this season, but factors beyond manager Nuno Espirito Santo’s control could complicate his team selection ahead of a big test at Selhurst Park this weekend.
They will venture to Palace without defenders Davinson Sanchez and Cristian Romero, who are just two of the many Premier League footballers to have been caught out by red-list travel rules to South America over the international break.
The pair will be forced to quarantine upon arrival from South America, meaning that Santo has a rather large gap in the heart of his defence to try and plug before Saturday afternoon.
Winless Crystal Palace meanwhile will be encouraged by the disruption that the international break has brought to their opponents, as they chase a first Premier League win under new manager Patrice Viera.
Palace earned an encouraging 2-2 draw against West Ham last time out, with on-loan midfielder Conor Gallagher especially impressive.
The hosts could yet be boosted by the addition of club captain Luka Milivojevic and new signing Michael Olise this weekend too, as the pair near full fitness after pre-season injuries.
Here’s all you need to know ahead of this weekend’s Premier League fixture.
When is it?
The Premier League match takes place on Saturday 11th September at 12:30pm.
How can I watch it?
The match will be broadcast on BT Sport 1 and BT Sport Ultimate, with coverage beginning at 11:30am. BT Sport subscribers can stream the game via the BT Sport app.
Line ups
Crystal Palace: Guaita, Ward, Andersen, Guehi, Mitchell, Gallagher, Kouyate, McArthur, Ayew, Benteke, Zaha
Tottenham: Lloris, Emerson, Tanganga, Dier, Reguilon, Hojbjerg, Winks, Skipp, Dele, Lucas, Kane
Odds
Crystal Palace win: 10/3
Tottenham win: 17/20
Draw: 12/5
Prediction
Spurs may be low on goals so far, but they have balanced that out by remaining solid and compact defensively.
Palace, by contrast, will be boosted by home advantage as well as their encouraging display at the Olympic Stadium last time out.
With that, and Tottenham’s player shortage in mind, all signs point to a draw.
Crystal Palace 1 Tottenham Hotspur 1
