Crystal Palace can move into the top half of the Premier League table this weekend if they secure a win over Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.
The resurgent Eagles sit 11th ahead of their trip to the Black Cats, who are just three points clear of the relegation zone in 15th following a derby win last time out.
Sunderland
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Sunderland secured their first win under Dick Advocaat last weekend with a morale-boosting 1-0 victory in the Tyne-Wear derby thanks to a show-stopping strike from Jermain Defoe.
Without that goal the Black Cats would have slipped into the bottom three earlier this week as a result of QPR's draw with Aston Villa, so there is still work to be done if Sunderland are to avoid the drop.
The win over Newcastle United was the team's first since they beat Burnley 2-0 back in January, ending a run of seven matches without picking up three points.
Since the end of January, Sunderland have been particularly lacking in attack, scoring just three times in the league, leaving them with the second worst attack in the division behind only Aston Villa.
No real top goal-scorer has emerged for the side so far this season, with Steven Fletcher leading the way with six in all competitions, just ahead of Jordi Gomez, Adam Johnson and Connor Wickham, who all have five.
The team faces a difficult end to the season, with matches against Southampton and Everton still to come before trips to Arsenal and Chelsea in the final two outings of the campaign, so they will be keen to secure something from this match and get some points in the bag.
Recent form: DLDLLW
Crystal Palace
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Alan Pardew's Crystal Palace side are one of the league's form teams, clinching a third straight win, and fourth in five outings earlier this week with a 2-1 victory over current champions Manchester City.
The result lifted Palace up to 11th in the table, and with a win this weekend they have a chance to move above 10th-placed Stoke City and into the top half of the table.
Glenn Murray and Wilfried Zaha's prowess in front of goal has inspired Palace's recent run, with the duo each scoring twice in the last three outings.
If Pardew wants his side to finish the season in the top 10, they need to get points on the board in their next couple of matches, with trips to Chelsea and Liverpool as well as the visit of Manchester United to come next month.
Although Palace have been scoring with ease in recent weeks, they have been struggling to keep clean sheets, letting their opponents find the back of the net in each of their last seven league outings.
A win this weekend would not be enough to make relegation a mathematical possibility, but it could put the team as many as 16 points clear of the relegation zone with six matches still to play.
Recent form: LWLWWW
Team News
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Pardew confirmed during his pre-match press conference that Joe Ledley will need a late fitness test to determine whether or not he will be able to feature this weekend after picking up a thigh strain.
Otherwise, Palace have a healthy squad, with the manager singling out strikers Yaya Sanogo and Shola Ameobi for praise for their performances in training this week.
For the hosts, Sebastian Larsson misses out as he collected his 10th booking of the campaign during the win over Newcastle, ruling him out for the next two matches.
However, Jack Rodwell is expected to be fit again after recovering from the hamstring injury that kept him out of the match against the Magpies.
Sunderland possible starting lineup:
Pantilimon, Jones, Vergini, O'Shea, Van Aanholt, Coates, Cattermole, Gomez, Defoe, Fletcher, Wickham
Crystal Palace possible starting lineup:
Speroni, Ward, Dann, Delaney, Kelly, Gayle, Zaha, Puncheon, McArthur, Murray, Bolasie
Head To Head
Sunderland won the last match between these two sides when they played at Selhurst Park earlier in the season, claiming a 3-1 win over the Eagles, who finished with 10 men after Mile Jedinak was sent off.
Since Palace's return to the top flight last season, these two sides have been well matched, with the three most recent matches ending with each side claiming a 3-1 win. Last season's meeting at the Stadium of Light ended in the goalless draw.
There has not been much between the two teams over the years either, with Sunderland picking up 10 wins in the 22 meetings with Palace, who have eight wins.
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Hit play below to see what the Sports Mole Sofa had to say about this encounter:
We say: Sunderland 1-2 Crystal Palace
Palace have shown no signs of slipping up in recent weeks, and with the chance to move up to 10th in the table, they will surely be wary of a misstep against a Sunderland side that have struggled to find the back of the net in recent outings. Sunderland will certainly be a more confident side following their win over Newcastle, but Palace should have the class to edge it.
Sian Cowper
