Can Crystal Palace Turn Fortune Around at Sunderland | OneFootball

Among Saturday’s swath of mid-afternoon fixtures is a visit from Crystal Palace to Sunderland. This is a tie both sides will be eager to win. Palace needs a ray of hope in what has been a dark and gloomy winter. They will pray the Stadium of Light lives up to that name, at least for them. Sunderland, meanwhile, will be trying to keep their undefeated league home record intact for another matchweek.

Crystal Palace’s Struggles

We all know about the defending FA Cup champions embarrassing ouster at the hands of non-league Macclesfield last weekend in the third round. This was yet another splash of ice water onto an already hypothermic club exhausted by a particularly cruel period of match fixtures. From the end of the November international break until the FA Cup third round, Palace played 15 matches in 49 days. That’s an average of one game every 3.25 days. No other club in England was tasked with such a difficult schedule, and over time the strain began to show.

Woe to Crystal Palace. Their last ten matches. Source: Sofascore

Injury Woes

To say the club was tired taking the pitch against Macclesfield would be an understatement. But fatigue isn’t the only factor impacting the Eagles. Injuries have bedeviled the squad, particularly the loss of wing-back Daniel Muñoz. The Colombian went down with a knee problem in early December, and it’s no coincidence that Palace’s woes began happening at the same time. Borna Sosa has failed to live up to expectations, and Nathaniel Clyne, while willing, is too old to replace Muñoz. 

Other injured Eagles include midfielders Daichi Kamada (hamstring), Cheick Doucoré (knee) and Jefferson Lerma (recurring concussion issues). Will Hughes, as tough as anyone, has been battling knocks for weeks. On the defensive side, center back Chris Richards suffered a foot injury that sidelined him a number of games. Wing-back Chadi Riad was back for a handful of matches early in the season before a cruciate ligament tear. 

Attacking Malaise

Up front, Eddie Nketiah has struggled through thigh pain, various strains and other issues.  Ismaïlia Sarr’s call up to AFCON with Senegal further blunted their goal-scoring. Brennan Johnson’s January signing was good business, but he hasn’t quite clicked into gear yet. 

Jean-Philippe Mateta sits tied at fifth in goals scored this season, and the club is heavily reliant on him. New signing Yéremy Pino has recently found his form, relieving some of the pressure on the no. 9.

Despite the six losses and three draws in their last nine games, the Eagles have generally played doggedly, usually staying competitive. Yes, exhaustion has sometimes dulled their energy, but given all their problems the team has remained unified and as positive as they can.

Unlike some managers who have bemoaned scheduling publicly (while blessed with far more resources), skipper Oliver Glasner has never used this as an excuse.

Sunderland’s Surprising Form

There are two teams undefeated at home so far: top of the table Arsenal, and Sunderland. The Stadium of Light has been a fortress for the Black Cats, even though they have the same number of wins as draws (5). Régis Le Bris has masterfully guided his newly promoted side not simply into safety, but into excellence. True, their early season high flying form has been brought closer to ground but they still only have one loss in their last ten matches (though only three wins as well).

How it Should Play

Palace should employ their usual 3-4-2-1 formation, but it’s unclear whether Glasner will start Tyrick Mitchell in favor of Clyne. Game-day fitness will probably force the manager’s decision. All of Sunderland’s players who departed for AFCON have returned, and with two reported injuries Le Bris essentially has a full squad to pick from. Régis has to go for the jugular against a battled Palace side, and will pull out all the stops to secure a win.

Both sides are near mirror images of each other statistically. They both have a -1 goal differential; Sunderland have scored one fewer goal than Palace’s 22. Don’t expect fireworks from either side, but do enjoy two sides whose pride and discipline will ensure a solid 90 minutes.