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Tottenham Hotspur vs Crystal Palace: Premier League Preview, H2H & Predicted Line-ups

crystal palace v tottenham hotspur premier league 1 scaled

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is the venue as Tottenham take on Crystal Palace in an all-London Premier League encounter on Boxing Day.

Since a COVID-19 induced forfeit away to Rennes eliminated Spurs from the Europa Conference League, Antonio Conte’s men have gone unbeaten in back-to-back domestic fixtures (W1, D1).

Tottenham go into proceedings on the back of a 2-1 victory over cross-town rivals West Ham United in midweek Carabao Cup action, extending their undefeated run in domestic affairs to six (W4, D2). 

A mini-revival under Conte keeps Spurs firmly in contention for a top-four finish as they currently sit six points adrift of fourth-placed Arsenal, over whom they have three games in hand.

Seeking revenge for a dismal 3-0 defeat in the reverse fixture in mid-September, Tottenham will be looking to claim maximum points in their last home outing in 2021.

Standing in their way will be a Palace side that has picked up some steam following a run of three consecutive Premier League defeats, going unbeaten in their last two league matches (W1, D1). 

Tottenham Hotspur vs Crystal Palace Head-To-Head

Japhet Tanganga’s second-half red card paved the way for Palace’s comprehensive 3-0 win in the reverse fixture at Selhurst Park.

Odsonne Edouard notched up a late brace to add to Wilfried Zaha’s 76th-minute opener, handing Palace an opportunity to win back-to-back league meetings with Tottenham for the first time.

However, since winning 1-0 at White Hart Lane in November 1997, Palace have registered just one victory in their subsequent 11 Premier League visits to Tottenham (D4, L7).

Indeed, Spurs have won their last six top-flight H2Hs on home turf by an aggregate score of 13-1.

Tottenham Hotspur Preview

Tottenham have been thriving on Boxing Day for over a decade, going unbeaten in their last 14 Premier League matches on this day (W11, D3) to reach an unprecedented feat in the top four tiers of English football.

But to keep that record going, Spurs will have to defy their recent ‘London derby hoodoo,’ having lost five of their last six such league fixtures, barring a 2-0 win over Premier League debutants Brentford in December.

Encouragingly, Conte’s men have bagged nine goals across their last four Premier League outings, as many as in their opening 11 in the competition this season.

Although he’s not enjoying the best of times, Harry Kane could make history on Sunday and tie Robbie Fowler’s Premier League record of nine goals scored on Boxing Day.

The England captain has scored eight Premier League goals on Boxing Day, finding the net in all five such appearances.

Crystal Palace Preview

Palace have only won one of their last six Premier League games on Boxing Day (D3, L2), though that solitary success came in a London derby against West Ham in 2019/20.

The Eagles have avoided defeat in their last four Premier League London derbies in a row (W1, D3), last enjoying a longer such run (seven) in their top-flight history in 1990.

Patrick Vieira’s men have netted seven goals in their last three league London derbies, as many as they managed across their previous ten such match-ups combined.

During his illustrious playing career at Arsenal, Vieira won all eight Premier League fixtures on Boxing Day, which should inspire his bid to win his first-ever such contest as a manager.

Chelsea loanee Conor Gallagher has developed into one of the hottest midfield prospects in the Premier League this term.

The 21-year-old rising star has netted six goals and provided three assists in his 16 top-flight appearances this season. 

Tottenham Hotspur vs Crystal Palace

Tottenham Hotspur (3-4-3): Hugo Lloris; Davinson Sanchez, Eric Dier, Ben Davies; Emerson Royal, Harry Winks, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Sergio Reguilon; Lucas Moura, Harry Kane, Heung-min Son.

Crystal Palace (4-3-3): Jack Butland; Joel Ward, Joachim Andersen, Marc Guehi, Mitchell; Conor Gallagher, Will Hughes, Cheikhou Kouyate; Jordan Ayew, Odsonne Edouard, Wilfried Zaha. 

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