An inspired Crystal Palace were desperately unlucky not to get something from their game against Chelsea last weekend, as they fell to an eventual 2-1 defeat. Epitomised by the seemingly rejuvenated Marouane Chamakh, Palace forced Petr Cech into multiple saves. Tony Pulis will be looking for them to capitalise on this new found momentum when they welcome Newcastle this weekend.
Marouane Chamakh has been enjoying the form of Premier League career in recent weeks, stringing together a series of excellent performance following the arrival of Tony Pulis. He now has by far the best shot accuracy rate of any player in the Palace squad, with 71.4% of his total attempts this season testing the ‘keeper. Chamakh is an industry best 14/5 to score at any time this weekend with 888sport.com.
His strike partner Cameron Jerome is also rising in the statistics stakes this season and many Palace fans will be hoping that he and Chamakh can combine for continuing success this season. Jerome now had 11 attempts on goal to his name, the third highest in the Palace squad, with 54.5% of them testing the ‘keeper.
Damien Delaney continues to turn in some exceptional defensive performances this season, something that will no doubt please new boss Tony Pulis who knows a good defender when he sees one. Delaney currently ranks third on the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index for total defensive contributions (blocks, clearances, interceptions, tackles won) with 208 this term.
Captain Mile Jedinak has won an excellent 74.1% of his 81 attempted challenges this season, marking him out as the main enforcer in the Eagles midfield. He has, however, also given away 26 fouls, a squad-high and must be mindful of his technique moving forward if he’s not to incur any bans.
Newcastle held Southampton to a 1-1 draw at St James’ Park last weekend, with Yoan Gouffran displaying good reactions to put the Magpies in front before Jay Rodriguez’s equalizer.
Loic Remy’s ability to carve out scoring attempts has been key for the Magpies this season, the Frenchman demonstrating great movement and an eye for a gap. He currently leads the Newcastle squad for attempts on goal according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index with 30 to his name. Remy is 16/11 with 888sport.com to score at any time this weekend.
Countryman Mathieu Debuchy remains Newcastle’s most effective defender this term, compiling some highly impressive statistics. He’s won an excellent 82.8% of his 58 attempted challenges this season.
Moussa Sissoko reached a personal landmark last weekend, one which demonstrates the level of influence he has from the Newcastle engine room. Against Southampton became the first Newcastle player this season to surpass the 300 barrier for passes completed in the opponent’s half, his total now sitting on 301.
To complement this Sissoko also has the distinction of being one of the leaders in the Newcastle squad for total attacking contributions (shots on goal, dribbles, crosses, assists). The Frenchman has racked up 53 according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.