Palace take on Bournemouth in top-end Saturday tea-time clash.
Crystal Palace vs. Bournemouth kicks off at 15:00 [GMT+1] on Saturday, October 18, at Selhurst Park.
Crystal Palace [WDWWL] will welcome Bournemouth to Selhurst Park, aiming to extend their impressive home form, but history suggests this fixture rarely produces goals. Palace have failed to score in each of their last four Premier League meetings with Bournemouth (D2 L2) — a frustrating record that highlights the Cherries’ defensive resilience. The only club the Eagles have endured a longer goalless streak against in the competition is Tottenham Hotspur, going seven straight games without a goal between August 2016 and September 2019. Last season’s encounters were particularly uneventful, with both matches ending 0-0. In fact, the only fixtures in Premier League history to have produced three consecutive goalless draws are Arsenal vs QPR (1992–94), Aston Villa vs Manchester United (1996–97), Coventry vs Sheffield Wednesday (1996–97), and Charlton vs Middlesbrough (2001–02). Should this game also end without a goal, Palace and Bournemouth would join that rare list — a testament to how finely balanced and cagey this fixture has become in recent years. Nevertheless, despite their struggles in front of goal against Bournemouth, Palace’s home form provides reason for optimism. The Eagles are unbeaten in their last nine Premier League home games (W5 D4) — their joint-third longest run at Selhurst Park in top-flight history. Only two previous stretches surpass it: a 10-match unbeaten spell from August to December 1979 and an impressive 17-game streak from February to December 1990. Oliver Glasner would like to see his 6th-placed side claim all three points when he deploys the 4—2—3—1 formation. Jean-Philippe Mateta is expected at the attacking end.
Bournemouth, however, arrive full of confidence, having remained unbeaten in their last five PL games. The Cherries have won three of those games [WWDDW] and four in their last six, matching the total number of wins from their previous 16 fixtures combined (D4 L8). That resurgence under Andoni Iraola has seen them rise steadily up the table into an enviable 4th place. Still, their away record remains inconsistent — just two wins in their last nine Premier League away outings (D4 L3), although both came impressively in London, defeating Arsenal 2-1 in May and Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 in August. It remains something the Cherries would be keen to repeat when they visit the capital for this Saturday tea-time clash. A 4—2—3—1 formation with Evanilson in attack is expected against Palace. Adam Smith and Enes Ünal are ruled out for the Cherries.