Crystal Palace vs West Ham Preview & Prediction (23/Aug 22:00)

Probable Lineups

 

Team News

 Crystal Palace

• Jason Puncheon is suspended following his costly red card in the 2-1 defeat to Arsenal. Barry Bannan should take his place on the right-wing.
• Scott Dann faces a late fitness test ahead of the welcome of West Ham.
• Jerome Thomas, Adrian Mariappa and Jonathan Williams are also doubts for Palace.

West Ham

• James Collins is suspended after his red card in the 1-0 defeat to Tottenham last weekend.
• Sam Allardyce will be without injured trio Andy Carroll, Ravel Morrison and Matthew Jarvis, while Carl Jenkinson is a doubt.
• Guy Demel should start at right-back in place of Joey O'Brien, while James Tomkins is expected to start alongside Winston Reid at centre-back.

Prediction

• Crystal Palace performed admirably at the Emirates last weekend, despite Tony Pulis' resignation just 48 hours before the meeting with Arsenal. They will aim to put a poor start behind them with an impressive display in front of their own fans.
• West Ham were unfortunate not to secure a positive result on the opening day of the season, coming unstuck late on through an Eric Dier strike against Spurs. Allardyce will have been buoyed by the performances of his players and is expected to ask for much the same when they make the short trip across the capital.
• These are unsettling times for the Eagles, who may be without a permanent manager by the time this match rolls around, which could result in a low-scoring draw.