Preview: Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa - prediction, team news, lineups

Looking to halt their worrying run of woes from this matchup, Aston Villa make the trip to Selhurst Park where Crystal Palace await on Wednesday night for a Premier League clash.

The Eagles are searching for home comforts following an away defeat at Newcastle United, while the Villans are in the business of securing Champions League qualification this term.

Match preview

Since a three-game winning run at the expense of Burnley, Fulham and Irish outfit Shelbourne in December, Crystal Palace have endured a seven-match winless spell across all competitions, with fixture congestion over the festive period clearly playing its part.

The Eagles have commenced the 2026 schedule with the collection of a single point from matches versus the aforementioned Cottagers and Newcastle, with the latter securing a 2-0 win at St James' Park on Sunday afternoon courtesy of Malick Thiaw and Bruno Guimaraes efforts.

On a mission for a first Selhurst Park success since the 3-1 beating of AZ Alkmaar in early November, Oliver Glasner's troops are sitting 14th in the Premier League standings, seven points behind fourth-placed Liverpool after 20 matches.

A major reason why Palace have failed to keep up with the Champions League pace in recent times, the Eagles have picked up just two wins across 10 top-flight Selhurst Park matches so far, with only divisional whipping boys Wolverhampton Wanderers (1) managing fewer home victories.

Scoring five more than any of his teammates, eight-strike Jean-Philippe Mateta has carried the attacking burden in South London, although Palace have moved quickly in January to resolve their offensive issues, signing Brennan Johnson for a club-record fee of £35m from Tottenham Hotspur.

© Imago / Manual Stefan

After a week in which the struggle for power between head coach and ownership at both Chelsea and Manchester United have stolen the headlines, Aston Villa Football Club continue to thrive to the beat of the Unai Emery drum.

An 11-game winning run across all competitions was halted by a league-leading Arsenal outfit to end 2025 on a sour note for the Villans, who have since responded with a convincing 3-1 success over Midlands counterparts Nottingham Forest.

After struggling at the beginning of this season and starting to fall into the shadow of Donyell Malen, England hero Ollie Watkins is back on centre stage for Emery's men, with the former Brentford marksman scoring four goals across his last three appearances.

Manchester City's inability to put Chelsea to bed at the Etihad on the weekend has allowed the Villans to draw level with Pep Guardiola's side on 42 points in the Premier League rankings, six points adrift of the Gunners in first.

For all of their upward trajectory under Emery in recent times, Crystal Palace has provided a constant source of pain for the Second City club, who are winless across their last six matches versus the Eagles (D1 L5).

Crystal Palace Premier League form: 

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Aston Villa Premier League form:

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Team News

© Imago

The experienced defender was forced off by a groin problem early in the second half, with Justin Devenny taking his place in the side.

That was the second alteration of the afternoon for the Eagles, who used a concussion substitution to replace the baffled Jefferson Lerma.

As a result, 19-year-old Jaydee Canvot could join Marc Guehi and Maxence Lacroix in the centre-back trio on Wednesday night.

Aston Villa's midfield duo of Boubacar Kamara and Youri Tielemans were excellent against Forest, drawing attention away from the fact that Amadou Onana is currently missing due to a hamstring injury.

There could be serious defensive reinforcements on the way from the Villans' medical room, with both Pau Torres (calf) and Tyrone Mings (hamstring) edging towards returns.

Evann Guessand remains absent on Africa Cup of Nations duty with Ivory Coast, Harvey Elliott is waiting for his taxi back to Merseyside, and Ross Barkley is sidelined owing to a knee issue.

Crystal Palace possible starting lineup:

Henderson; Canvot, Lacroix, Guehi; Rodney, Wharton, Hughes, Mitchell; Johnson, Pino; Mateta

Aston Villa possible starting lineup:

Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Lindelof, Maatsen; Kamara, Tielemans; McGinn, Rogers, Buendia; Watkins

We say: Crystal Palace 1-2 Aston Villa

Despite Aston Villa's exceptional form, we do not anticipate a walk in the Selhurst Park for the unlikely title challengers on Wednesday night.

Palace will be encouraged by their dominance over the Villans in recent matchups, but we are expecting the Eagles' winless run to extend to eight games.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.