Maxence Lacroix speaks to Sky Sports about Palace balancing the demands of Premier League/European football.
I think we learned a lot with the games. There are a lot of minutes. This is like a family, everyone wants to fight for each other. At first it was difficult and we are on our way and really happy where we are. The mood is totally different. We don’t have injuries – apart from Eddie [Nketiah], we are sad for him.
West Ham’s Konstantinos Mavropanos also speaks:
We just have to focus on ourselves [in the relegation battle]. We have worked so hard the last couple of months to be in this position. We just want to keep the momentum. We have shown togetherness defensively.
An email from Eric Peterson:
“Tanking is too strong a word, but Spurs sure didn’t prioritise their league matches down the stretch last season, saving their strongest lineups for the Europa League. Manchester United pulled the same stunt, and they paid the price by losing the Europa League final to Tottenham and missing out on Europe entirely this season. I fully expect Palace to do the same thing the rest of this season. And I can’t say I blame them. They’re not a reasonable relegation risk, and leapfrogging a half-dozen teams to get to Europe through the final table is nowhere near as likely as just winning the Europa Conference and making the Europa League that way.”
This is a strong Palace side, but certainly not the best XI. Ismaïla Sarr scored crucial goals in both legs against Fiorentina but is back on the bench tonight. Adam Wharton has been heavily linked with Liverpool this week and it is a worry for Palace fans that he is not in the squad at all today, with no mention of an injury.
It is not a surprise to see West Ham unchanged from the 4-0 win over Wolves. I have put 4-2-2-2 as the formation, with Soucek and Fernandes sitting deeper and Bowen and Summerville almost as two wide No 10s, but they could easily morph into a more conventional 4-4-2, or a 4-4-1-1 with Pablo dropping deep.
Team news!
Crystal Palace (3-4-2-1): Henderson; Richards, Lacroix, Canvot; Munoz, Lerma, Hughes, Mitchell; Johnson, Pino; Strand Larsen.
Subs: Benitez, Sarr, Mateta, Clyne, Kamada, Sosa, Riad, Devenny, Cardines.
West Ham (4-2-2-2): Hermansen; Walker-Peters, Disasi, Mavropanos, Diouf; Soucek, Fernandes; Bowen, Summerville; Pablo, Castellanos.
Subs: Areola, Wilson, Traore, Todibo, Magassa, Wan-Bissaka, Scarles, Potts, Kante.
Preamble
What was a bad weekend for Tottenham Hotspur could get a whole lot worse at Selhurst Park. Spurs could and probably should have beaten Brighton to leapfrog West Ham in the relegation but a late, late equaliser for the south-coast side – compounded by wins for Leeds and Nottingham Forest – have left Tottenham staring down the barrel with just four games to go.
West Ham – with a game in hand – will stay 17th with a victory this evening but would put themselves four points clear of Spurs in 18th, an important margin given the east Londoners’ inferior goal difference. The Hammers are on something of a tear recently, revitalised under Nuno Espírito Santo, and since 17 January have the fifth best points tally in the Premier League. That they are still in the mire shows how far they had previously fallen.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | Nottm Forest | 33 | -9 | 36 |
| 17 | West Ham | 32 | -17 | 32 |
| 18 | Tottenham Hotspur | 33 | -11 | 31 |
| 19 | Burnley | 33 | -33 | 20 |
| 20 | Wolverhampton | 33 | -37 | 17 |
Nuno deserved a lot of credit, and new signings have made a huge impact. Taty Castellanos and Pablo have given West Ham a focal point up top, while Axel Disasi and Konstantinos Mavropanos have formed an excellent partnership at the back – so much so that the Greek is even now being linked with a move to Borussia Dortmund, quite the transformation.
A trip to Palace is not normally easy, but this is a good time to face the Eagles, who (marooned in mid-table) have nothing to play for in the Premier League and are focused on Europe after reaching the Conference League semi-finals on Thursday. And following that aggregate victory at Fiorentina, Oliver Glasner allowed his players to celebrate by painting Florence red and blue. Spurs fans look away now: a crunch European tie, added travel and a potential hangover on Friday was not the ideal way to prepare for tonight’s game.
Selhurst Park under the lights is (nearly) always a cracker. Good luck to both teams.
Kick-off: 8pm BST.
