Aston Villa enter the fixture off the back of a 2-0 win at Goodison Park, bouncing back from their defeats against Premier League title contenders, Arsenal and Manchester City.
A penalty from the in-form Ollie Watkins gave Villa the lead against the Toffees, before Emi Buendia secured the three points with a well-taken effort in the Everton box.
Unai Emery’s men currently sit in 11th place, level on points with Chelsea and just four points above their opposition on Saturday, Crystal Palace, who sit a place below in 12th.
The Eagles enter this game off the back of three consecutive draws, with their last one being a positive one against Liverpool at Selhurst Park. Patrick Vieira would have certainly been happy with the result, considering the level of the opponent, but he will still be concerned by his side's presence in front of goal.
His side are still yet to win a single game in 2023, with their last win coming on December 31st - a 2-0 triumph away at Bournemouth. They have only found the net five times during this time, an area the manager will want to turn around this Saturday.
Team News
Despite a promising return to training, Brazilian centre-back Diego Carlos looks set to miss the clash against Palace.
Another Brazilian, Phillipe Coutinho, looks set to miss out. He has been ruled out for a month with a muscular injury.
Jed Steer is another who is still out, but Robin Olsen should make the squad after a recent injury.
A big boost for Vieira is the return of Wilfried Zaha, who will be in the squad for Saturday.
“Wilfried trained the last two weeks with the team and this week he didn’t miss any training, so he will be in the squad tomorrow”
Whereas Sam Johnstone and Nathan Ferguson still have an extended period on the sideline to endure.
Likely Lineups:
Aston Villa: Martinez; Digne, Mings, Konsa, Cash; Ramsey, Luiz, Kamara; Buendia, Bailey, Watkins
Crystal Palace: Guaita; Mitchell, Guehi, Andersen, Clyne; Sambi Lokonga, Doucoure; Zaha, Eze, Olise; Edouard
Key Players
Watkins has been in red-hot form for his side as of late, taking on the mantle of goal scorer in the Aston Villa camp. He has scored in his last five Premier League games, becoming the first Aston Villa player to achieve this, something he will undoubtedly look to add to on Saturday.
After a poor start to the season for Watkins and his club, this will seem like a great opportunity to continue their form, something Vieira will be very aware of.
The forward will face two solid defenders in Marc Guehi and Joachim Andersen on Saturday, which will not be an easy test for the ex-Brentford man, but in his form, anything is possible.
One of the most talented players in the Premier League on his day, who will be looking to add some firepower to a rather flat Crystal Palace attack.
The Ivory Coast international has endured a poor season by his standards, scoring just 6 goals in 19 games, with his last goal coming on 6 November of last year. However, his time out through injury could play to his advantage, allowing him to recharge and discover his form from previous seasons.
His side are struggling in front of goal and Zaha is surely the man who can improve the standards up top and get the Eagles firing again.
Match Details
Where is the game being played?
The game is being played at Villa Park, Birmingham.
What time is kick-off?
The game will kick off at 3pm, on Saturday 4 March 2023.
Where to watch?
The game is unavailable for TV coverage in the UK, due to the 3pm blackout. However, highlights can be found on Sky Sports after 5:15pm.