Sunderland hoping ‘away trend’ continues in visit to Palace.
Crystal Palace vs Sunderland kicks off at 15:00 [GMT+1] on Saturday, September 13, at Selhurst Park.
Crystal Palace will face Sunderland this weekend, marking the first Premier League meeting between the sides since February 2017, when the visitors recorded a stunning 4-0 victory in south London. The recent head-to-head record makes for interesting reading. Palace will arrive in excellent form and currently boast the longest active unbeaten run in the Premier League. The Eagles are nine league matches without defeat (W3 D6), a sequence stretching back to last season. The last time they put together a longer top-flight unbeaten run was between May and October 1990, when they went 12 games undefeated. Oliver Glasner’s team have been difficult to break down, and confidence is building around Selhurst Park. Just before the international break, the Eagles picked up their first victory of the season in a 3-0 win against Aston Villa, a win that left them with five points [DDW] and 8th place. Seeking back-to-back victories will be the objective on Saturday, and fortunately, the hosts also have a strong record against newly promoted sides. Palace have lost just one of their last 16 Premier League matches against such opponents (W10 D5), that sole defeat coming in a 2-1 reverse to Luton Town in November 2023. Given Sunderland’s return to the top-flight, that record will encourage the Palace faithful that their team can extend their unbeaten streak. A 3—4—2—1 formation with Mateta in attack is expected here against Sunderland.
The Black Cats have made a bright start to life back in the Premier League, winning two of their opening three games (2W, 1L). They are the first newly promoted side to achieve such a start since Leeds United in 2020/21. Historically, only two promoted clubs have managed to win three of their first four matches in a Premier League season: Nottingham Forest in 1994/95 and Bolton Wanderers in 2001/02. Victory at Selhurst Park would allow Sunderland to match that milestone and underline their impressive adaptation to the top flight. Another interesting fact is that the away team has won five of the last six Premier League encounters between the clubs, with Sunderland victorious on several trips to Selhurst Park. In fact, across their last eight top-flight meetings, the only home win came back in August 2013, when Palace earned a 3-1 success. That trend suggests this fixture often favors the visiting side, something Sunderland will hope continues. A 4—3—3 formation with Talbi, Mayenda and Adingra may be seen against Palace.