Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live coverage of the match in the Premier League between Crystal Palace and Newcastle United. Both teams were successful in getting business done on deadline day, but can that lead to moving clear of the relegation zone? Let's see who Roy Hodgson and Rafael Benitez have selected in their respective starting lineups...

CRYSTAL PALACE XI: Hennessey; Fosu-Mensah, Kelly, Tomkins, Van Aanholt; McArthur, Milivojevic, Cabaye; Townsend, Zaha, Benteke

CRYSTAL PALACE SUBSTITUTES: Henry, Ward, Sorloth, Sakho, Lee, Souare, Riedewald

NEWCASTLE UNITED XI: Darlow; Yedlin, Lascelles, Clark, Dummett; Ritchie, Shelvey, Diame, Kenedy; Perez; Gayle

NEWCASTLE UNITED SUBSTITUTES: Dubravka, Murphy, Hayden, Manquillo, Lejeune, Merino, Atsu

Let's start by taking a look at the Palace XI, with Hodgson opting to make just the one change from the team which secured a 1-1 draw at West Ham United. With Bakary Sako being ruled out for the rest of the season, Yohan Cabaye has been brought back into the side.

Palace have secured a pre-contract agreement with Getafe stopper Vicente Guaita - rather than sealing a January move - so Wayne Hennessey keeps his place in the starting lineup. The Welsh stopper will no doubt feel under pressure to impress during the second half of the campaign.

With Sako out of the team, there will be more pressure on the likes of Andros Townsend, who lines up against his former team. The Englishman has registered five assists this season and will no doubt provide a threat on the flanks with Wilfried Zaha.

On the bench, there is a place for Alexander Sorloth, the Norwegian striker who signed for Palace on deadline day. It's not a surprise that he has to make do with a spot among the replacements but for the first time this season, Christian Benteke has some competition for his place.

As for Newcastle, Benitez has decided to make three changes to the side which drew with Burnley on Wednesday night. Matt Ritchie and Dwight Gayle have both been brought into the side, as has Jonjo Shelvey.

Dropping out of the team are Mikel Merino, Christian Atsu and Joselu. As far as Merino is concerned, he was making his first appearance in 18 days in midweek and completed the full 90 minutes, so it's not a big surprise to see him rested today.

Chelsea loanee Kenedy makes his second successive start but there is no spot in the squad for Islam Slimani, who is still carrying an injury despite completing a move from Leicester City on Wednesday night.

On the bench, Martin Dubravka is included as backup to Karl Darlow. Darlow was unfortunate to put through his own net in midweek, but he will be aware that he is now under pressure to keep his place in the starting lineup.

Palace head into this match having lost just two of their last 14 matches in the Premier League but all of a sudden, they find themselves back towards the relegation zone. In fact, Newcastle are capable of moving above the Eagles with victory this afternoon. Newcastle cannot be doing all that bad if that is the case.

Hodgson will be delighted with Palace over the last couple of months, but he has acknowledged that at least half of the division remain in a relegation battle. Click here to see what the former England boss has to say.

If Palace do avoid relegation, their recent home form will be directly responsible. In their last nine games at Selhurst Park, only Arsenal have left with three points. For a team of Palace's standing, that's an excellent record. Palace will boast the ninth-best home record in the division if they win this afternoon.

A total of 16 points have been recorded during their current spell, with four wins and four draws coming since the start of October. The 2-1 triumph over Chelsea acted as the catalyst, with victories over Stoke City, Watford and Burnley being registered over the last three months.

However, Palace are yet to beat one of the newly-promoted sides this season. They have only played three times but they are yet to even score a goal against Newcastle, Brighton or Huddersfield.

The struggles of Christian Benteke have been well documented but the Belgian has contributed either a goal or an assist in his last four matches in the Premier League. Hodgson is really starting to get the best out of him.

That said, Benteke is yet to score a goal at Selhurst Park in the Premier League this season. The forward has played 10 times and missed a penalty against Bournemouth earlier in the campaign.

"They are a good team with very good players. It is a difficult stadium and a difficult place to get points. But we must have confidence we can do it. It is very close at the bottom and for us it is another challenge to survive."

Those are the comments of Benitez, who has probably said the right things ahead of this match. The Spaniard will recognise that his team are underdogs today but they have already shown this season that they can perform on the road.

Much has been said about Newcastle's form in the Premier League this season but the Magpies actually sit in 14th place in the standings based on the last six games. I'm pretty sure that Benitez would be delighted with that position in May.

However, Newcastle fans probably won't want to read this statistic. Their current points return after 25 games is the same as when they got relegated two seasons ago.

They have also gone nearly a month-and-a-half without scoring a goal in the opening 45 minutes of a Premier League match. Their last strike coming from Henri Saivet against West Ham, but the midfielder has since left the club.

Islam Slimani has been brought to the club to try to improve their efforts in the final third. Joselu remains the club's top goalscorer in the top flight with just four goals. It will be interesting to see the Spaniard's mindset today after his missed penalty against Burnley in midweek, that's if he is introduced from the bench during the second half.

For all of Benitez's frustration in the transfer market, he was able to bring in Kenedy on loan from Chelsea and the left-sided player went on to impress on his St James' Park bow. The Brazilian may just be the breath of fresh air which the first-team squad needed.

Before we get onto the prediction, an enlightening stat for you. Palace have lost only three of their 16 league matches since a 1-0 defeat at Newcastle in the reverse fixture and would be eighth in the table based on results since that game. However, Newcastle would be bottom of the league over the same period, with only two wins and 10 losses. Still, I think the clubs are much more closely matched than that suggests.

PREDICTION! Newcastle may have done ok on the road this season but we cannot back against Palace this afternoon. It's likely to be a tight game, but Palace could prevail by a 2-1 scoreline.

HEAD TO HEAD! Sunday's match represents just the 43rd meeting between the two sides, with Newcastle claiming 26 wins in comparison to nine victories for Palace.

Almost a third of those matches have taken place since the turn of the millennium. Newcastle have suffered just one defeat during that period, which came as recently as November 2015 when Palace won 5-1.

The reverse fixture earlier in the season was a closely-fought contest but Newcastle were able to emerge victorious thanks to a late effort from Merino. Click here to read back on that match.

It's time for the two teams to make their way out at Selhurst Park. Despite all the uproar over walk-on girls and grid girls, the Crystal Palace cheerleaders welcome the players onto the pitch.

A reminder of the two teams...

CRYSTAL PALACE XI: Hennessey; Fosu-Mensah, Kelly, Tomkins, Van Aanholt; McArthur, Milivojevic, Cabaye; Townsend, Zaha, Benteke

NEWCASTLE UNITED XI: Darlow; Yedlin, Lascelles, Clark, Dummett; Ritchie, Shelvey, Diame, Kenedy; Perez; Gayle

KICKOFF! Newcastle get us underway.

There's plenty of noise at Selhurst Park but both teams are taking their time to settle into this match. Zaha is playing a lot closer to Benteke, rather than being used on the wing.

Zaha and Benteke have both made runs directly towards the Newcastle defence, but the Magpies have just about survived. Palace are starting to make an impact.

SHOT! However, the first shot of this match comes from the boot of Gayle, who controls a high ball before getting a volley on target. His effort is too close to Hennessey, however.

Newcastle have come right back into this. Kenedy is found at the back post by a cross, but his chest-down to Shelvey is short and Palace are able to clear.

CHANCE! Van Aanholt springs to life on the left and plays an outstanding pass to Benteke, who is through on goal. However, despite a good first touch, the striker is denied by a fine block from Darlow.

This is developing into a competitive contest. Neither team are taking a backwards step. Zaha has been dealing with a knock over the past five minutes, but I think he is going to be fine to continue.

Kenedy is giving Newcastle a different option on the left. Benitez was not necessarily getting much of a defensive effort out of Atsu and other players in that position, but the Brazilian is equally effective all down the flank.

Newcastle are also looking to get Gayle in behind the Palace defence whenever they can. The forward is playing against his former club, as his Townsend.

CHANCE! Newcastle are the better team in this match. Yedlin is free on the right and his cross finds Perez, whose volley goes straight at Hennessey.

Kenedy and Fosu-Mensah have been receiving treatment after a coming together but both are back up on their feet. Not much has happened in the last couple of minutes.

I say that Fosu-Mensah is back on his feet, but now he is down again and in need of more treatment. Sakho is warming-up.

Newcastle take a deserved lead at Selhurst Park. A corner to the near post is poor but Perez's flick on finds Diame at the back post, and the midfielder is able to net from six yards. Fosu-Mensah is carrying on, by the way.

The away end is rocking. They may just be delirious after the long trip down to London. They've have plenty of away fixtures rearranged for television this season but credit to them. The Magpies faithful always travel in their numbers.

Right now, nothing is coming back from Palace. Newcastle appear to be growing in confidence having netted their first goal in the opening 45 minutes of a Premier League fixture since December 23.

I remain very impressed with Kenedy, He uses his body so well when keeping possession and his pace is getting the better of Fosu-Mensah. We are finally seeing what Chelsea saw when they signed him.

CHANCE! Palace have retreated to a certain extent in order to get on the ball. However, a few passes later, they get the ball to Zaha who is 10 yards out and the attacker appears destined to score, only for his shot to hit Benteke and go wide.

CHANCE! Newcastle should double their lead! Kenedy turns inside Tomkins and sees a shot brilliantly saved by Hennessey, before the rebound - from the edge of the box - from Perez is tipped wide by the goalkeeper.

It's Newcastle's turn to retreat and enjoy possession in their own half. They've had the better of the play but Shelvey hasn't necessarily been that influential in the middle of the park. It's all coming from the left flank.

It's an important period of the game. I get the impression that neither side are going to ease off heading into the break. That said, Palace cannot afford to concede a second.

We have not seen much of Yedlin but he is always a threat given his pace, even against Van Aanholt. He makes up a lot of ground to win a corner for his team.

Nothing comes from the set piece but Newcastle have looked a constant threat every time they have whipped the ball into the box. It's the kind of game which would have really suited Slimani, although Gayle is still doing a good job.

Townsend cuts inside onto his favoured left foot and although his cross is a threatening one, Darlow comes out to claim. The Newcastle stopper is having a decent game so far.

I think Palace may have to make a late change here. Kelly has gone down clutching his hamstring after making a tackle.

There will be two minutes of added-on time.

SUBSTITUTION! Yep. Kelly is having to come off. Sakho is coming on in his place. It's his first appearance since December 9.

The half-time whistle goes at Selhurst Park and Newcastle lead thanks to Diame's goal midway through the first half. Newcastle have shaded things but Palace came back into the match during the final 10 minutes.

Newcastle were having the better of it when their goal arrived. From a corner, Perez was able to get a flick on at the near post and Diame was waiting all on his own at the back post. It wasn't a tap-in because he decided to use the outside of his foot.

The Magpies have created more chances too, mainly from the flanks. Perez's volley from a Yedlin cross was comfortably kept out, but Hennessey made two excellent saves to deny Kenedy and Perez later in the half.

From Palace's perspective, Zaha has squandered a couple of openings, while Benteke probably should have scored during the early stages of the game. Newcastle haven't exactly looked solid at the back and Palace will take encouragement from that ahead of the second half.

The two teams are beginning to make their way back onto the pitch at Selhurst Park. I don't think we are getting any changes.

KICKOFF! Palace get us back underway.

Palace have started this second half on the front foot. A shot is deflected wide for a corner before Benteke almost rises above the defence to head on target, only for a player to muscle him out of the way.

Palace win a free kick around 35 yards out but rather than get the ball in the box, it is laid off to Van Aanholt, who sends the ball high over the crossbar.

Hodgson has tinkered with his side at the break, with Zaha now moving out wide and McCarthur closer to Benteke in the centre. So far, it is having the desired effect.

CHANCE! It's only a half-chance, but a chance at that. Van Aanholt's cross from the left finds Townsend, who sends his header over the bar from 12 yards. The ball was a little too high for him.

PENALTY TO CRYSTAL PALACE! Clark pulls the shirt of Benteke when the ball is delivered into the penalty area and it is a definite spot kick.

Darlow goes to his left and gets a strong hand to the ball, but Milivojevic's spot kick hits the post and goes in. That's harsh on the goalkeeper.

SUBSTITUTION! Newcastle make their first change, with Atsu coming on for Kenedy.

Newcastle are well and truly on the back foot now. They just can't get the ball out of their own half. Palace are pumping ball after ball into the penalty area.

I'd be surprised if Newcastle can withstand this pressure for much longer. It's incessant. Benteke is causing all kinds of problems for the Magpies defence.

Better from the visitors as Atsu shows a turn of pace down the left flank but his low cross is well dealt with by Tomkins.

BOOKING! Fosu-Mensah goes into the book for a wild lunge on Atsu. He joins Dummett, who was cautioned shortly after the penalty.

SUBSTITUTION! Diame is forced to come off through injury. Hayden is on in his place.

CHANCE! Cabaye is capable of much, much better. Townsend and Benteke combine to tee up the midfielder on the edge of the area but he sends his shot from 20 yards over the crossbar.

When Palace play with this intensity, you can see why teams find it hard to defeat them. Hodgson really has done an outstanding job since replacing Frank de Boer. Can they go on to win this match? They are certainly favourites.

For some bizarre reason, someone has run onto the pitch. The invader has been swiftly dealt with.

Newcastle have had more success in the last five minutes. A quick throw-in almost sees Atsu get a shot on goal, but Hennessey gets to the ball at the same time to get the block in.

Zaha is criticised for his ball retention on occasions and he deserves to be here. He spends about 20 seconds on the ball trying to fashion a chance for himself but Newcastle snuff out the danger.

Both managers still have substitutions available to them but none look imminent. No sign of new Palace striker Sorloth.

SHOT! McArthur has been superb in this second half and he almost scores a great goal. He twisted and turned on the edge of the area before sending a shot just over the bar.

SUBSTITUTION! Newcastle's final alteration sees Merino brought on for Perez. Looks like Benitez is playing for the draw.

Palace remain in the ascendancy but Newcastle are slowly giving them something to think about at the other end. We are yet to see Newcastle fashion many chances during this second half, though.

Something has upset Benitez on the touchline. I have no idea what. The Spaniard should probably focus on trying to guide his side through these remaining minutes. A point is still a decent result at Palace.

CHANCE! Was this the moment for Palace? The runner on the left flank enables Zaha to drift inside and curl a shot towards the far corner, but his effort goes just off target.

SHOT! Newcastle have gone more defensive but this has become an end-to-end game. Hayden just got a shot away from distance but it was too close to Hennessey.

CHANCES! Wow! How have Palace not scored. Benteke sees not one, but two efforts cleared off the line. Heroic defending from the Mapgies!

Clark has spent the last couple of minutes down with a knee injury but the defender is back to his feet. There will be four minutes of added-on time.

If there is going to be a winner, it's going to be Palace. Benteke almost sets up Townsend but his short pass lacks power and Newcastle clear.

The full-time whistle goes at Selhurst Park and Crystal Palace and Newcastle have played out a 1-1 draw. It's probably a fair result, with Newcastle having the better of the first half and Palace battling back in the second.

That will be all from Sports Mole for this match. Thank you for joining us this afternoon and we hope to see you again soon.

If you would like to read our on-the-whistle match report, you can do so by clicking here. Goodbye for now.