Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace will travel South to face Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth side.
At this point in the season Bournemouth sit 5th on 28 points having won eight of their opening 17.
They also come into this game unbeaten in their last five, having most recently beat Ruben Amorim’s Man United 3-0 at Old Trafford on the weekend. It was the second season in a row that they had travelled to Manchester and put three past the Red Devils.
Palace come into this game sitting in 16th place on 16 points. They are currently four points above the bottom three with Wolves and Ipswich sitting in 18th and 19th on 12 points.
The Eagles have lost just one of their last six Premier League games. They have won twice, drawn three and lost once.
However, they have suffered back-to-back losses in the last week having been knocked out of the EFL Cup.
In the Quarter Final Arsenal came from behind to win 3-2 and advance to the final four. They then faced Arsenal again on the weekend. But this time at Selhurst Park and they were heavily beaten this time 5-1.
This was Oliver Glasner’s heaviest defeat in charge of Palace and the first time they had conceded over four goals in a home game since a 7-0 defeat against Liverpool in December 2020.
Last season Iraola’s side did the league double over Palace winning 2-0 at Selhurst Park. Marcos Senesi and Kieffer Moore were on the scoresheet that day.
They then won 1-0 in April at the Vitality through a goal from Justin Kluivert.
Team News
Mexican Julian Araujo last featured in the loss at Brentford last month and is expected to be out of the side until February.
Marcos Senesi will be unavailable for the next three to four months as the defender has recently undergone surgery to repair a quad injury.
Alex Scott will be unavailable until some time in January as he has a tear in his meniscus.
Marcus Tavernier will not be able to play as he picked up a hamstring injury following a win away at Ipswich.
Luis Sinisterra is nearing a return to the side and has been out since the win against Arsenal in October.
Star man Eberechi Eze missed the defeat against Arsenal in the league last weekend. The midfielder picked up a hit on his foot against Brighton and played the cup game against the Gunners with a swollen foot.
However, Oliver Glasner expects that he will be available for selection against Bournemouth.
Colombian Daniel Munoz will return to the side having missed out the last two games with suspension.
Defender Rob Holding will not be apart of the squad as he has fallen out of favour with manager Oliver Glasner.
Brazilian Matheus Franca is working his way back from a recurring groin injury and is in the early parts of his rehab. He is not expected to feature until the middle or end of February.
Chadi Riad and Adam Wharton have both recently suffered setbacks in their recovery from injury.
Riad has been out with a MCL injury since August's cup win against Norwich. He recently featured for the under 21s in a victory against Anderlecht in the Premier League International Cup.
However, it was during these 45 minutes on the pitch in which he aggravated his problem.
Wharton had surgery on his groin in November. However, Glasner confirmed he struggled with pain on his return to training and has had to go back to recovery. He is unsure on the length of his absence from the side.
Likely Lineups
Kepa; Smith, Zabarnyi, Huijsen, Kerkez; Christie, Cook; Semenyo, Kluivert, Ouattara; Evanilson
Henderson; Munoz, Chalobah, Lacroix, Guehi, Mitchell; Hughes, Lerma; Sarr, Eze; Mateta
Key Players
Bournemouth – Milos Kerkez
The Hungarian has received his plaudits this season for his play and caught the eye of Arne Slot at Liverpool.
He has started every Premier League game this season and been a constant figure in the side scoring once and getting two assists.
Kerkez is able to provide Iraola’s side with pace up and down the left side.
The defensive side of his game is also impressive as he has averaged 4.07 recoveries, 1.05 interceptions and 3.57 duels won per 90 in the league this term.
Having arrived in the summer from Marseille, Sarr was one of the attackers signed to help fill the Michael Olise shaped hole in the side.
The Senegalese man has grown into the side and become more confident in front of goal in recent weeks.
He found the back of the net twice against Palace’s biggest rivals Brighton to inspire a 3-1 win at the Amex and also scored in a defeat against Arsenal.
The former Watford winger is able to use his exceptional speed to get in and behind the opponent’s defence.
Match Details
Where is the game being played?
The game is being played at Bournemouth’s the Vitality Stadium.
What time is kick-off?
Kick-off is at 15:00 GMT on Thursday 26th December 2024.
Where can I watch?
The game has been selected to be televised on Amazon Prime UK. Live updates will also be available on the Sky Sports website and Premier League app.
Highlights of the match, alongside key analysis, will be available to view on BBC One at 22:40 GMT on Match of the Day.
