Both Crystal Palace and Aston Villa will be looking to build on impressive Premier League wins last time out when the two teams lock horns at Selhurst Park on Saturday afternoon.
Palace recorded their first ever Premier League victory over Manchester United last weekend, while Villa got their campaign off and running with a 2-0 home success over Everton on Friday night.
Match preview
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Not too many expected Palace to pick up a result at Old Trafford last weekend, especially considering that they entered the match off the back of a 1-0 defeat at Sheffield United.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side had a lot of the ball and indeed a number of chances to triumph on home soil - Palace, though, had other ideas and secured the win late on through Patrick van Aanholt's near-post strike.
The result moved Palace onto four points from their three league matches this season, although they will enter this game off the back of a defeat having lost on penalties to Colchester United in the EFL Cup on Tuesday.
Not too much will be made of the cup exit if the Eagles win again this weekend, though, and a victory over Villa would lead Roy Hodgson's side nicely into the international break.
Palace have actually won 10 Premier League matches in 2019; only Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal have picked up more victories over the same period, which is an indication of their current form.
The Eagles also recorded a 2-1 win the last time that they welcomed Villa to Selhurst Park back in August 2015, but Hodgson is facing a potential defensive injury crisis heading into Saturday's clash.
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Villa lost their first two Premier League games of the 2019-20 campaign to Tottenham Hotspur and Bournemouth. That said, it would be fair to say that the promoted club showed enough in the two matches to suggest that they would be able to compete at this level this term.
Dean Smith's side managed to pick up their first win of the season at home to Everton last Friday in a match where summer signing Wesley made a very positive impression, scoring once and playing a huge role in Anwar El Ghazi's second late on.
Villa have had a very good week considering that they also thumped Crewe Alexandra in the second round of the EFL Cup on Tuesday night. Smith made a number of changes to his starting XI, and it proved to be a very impressive victory for the Premier League side on the road.
The Lions will be looking to make it back-to-back top-flight wins for the first time since May 2015, but they have only won one of their last 13 away games to Palace in all competitions.
What's more, Villa have failed to win any of their last 19 away games in the Premier League - suffering 16 defeats in the process. As mentioned, they lost at Tottenham on the opening weekend of the campaign, although Mauricio Pochettino's side needed a couple of late goals to win it.
It is an interesting period of the season for Smith's side as they face West Ham United and Arsenal in their two, and the visitors will be desperate to pick up their third straight win in all competitions this weekend.
Crystal Palace form: DLWL
Aston Villa form: LLWW
Team News
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As mentioned above, Hodgson could find it tough to put together a back four this weekend as Van Aanholt and Joel Ward are both struggling with injuries. The pair missed out against Colchester alongside Jeffrey Schlupp, and all three are seen as doubts for the clash with Villa.
The fact that James Tomkins and Mamadou Sakho are still sidelined is a further indication of Palace's problems at the back, although there is a chance that Van Aanholt and Ward could pass late fitness tests.
Further forward, Jordan Ayew is expected to keep his spot ahead of Christian Benteke having scored against United last weekend, while Andros Townsend should return to the XI in a wide position.
James McCarthy is also pushing for a spot in the middle of the midfield, potentially at the expense of Cheikhou Kouyate. However, the fact that the latter was not used against Colchester suggests that he could keep his spot after a strong showing at Old Trafford.
As for Villa, centre-forward Jonathan Kodjia is again unavailable due to an ankle problem, while defenders Matt Targett and James Chester are out with hamstring injuries.
A number of fringe players impressed in the win over Crewe during the week, but Smith is expected to keep with the same XI that started against Everton last time out.
As a result, Trezeguet and Jota should both support Wesley in the final third, while Tyrone Mings will feature buoyed from his selection in the latest England squad.
Frederic Guilbert did not start the season in the Villa XI; the Frenchman has impressed in his latest two appearances, though, and should keep his spot at right-back.
Crystal Palace possible starting lineup: Guaita; Ward, Cahill, Dann, Van Aanholt; McArthur, Milivojevic, Kouyate; Zaha, Ayew, Townsend
Aston Villa possible starting lineup: Heaton; Guilbert, Engels, Mings, Taylor; McGinn, Luiz, Grealish; Jota, Wesley, Trezeguet
We say: Crystal Palace 1-1 Aston Villa
We are finding it difficult to separate the two teams this weekend. Both will be full of confidence following impressive victories last weekend, and there has not been much between them in recent meetings.
Indeed, neither team has won this league fixture by more than one goal since March 1998. We are expecting a tight and hard-fought draw in the English capital on Saturday afternoon.
Matt Law
