TEAM NEWS
Crystal Palace have Wilfried Zaha available again after a one-match ban.
Conor Gallagher is a fitness doubt and manager Patrick Vieira will be assessed on Saturday over a possible return from Covid-19.
West Ham midfielder Declan Rice returns after suspension and will make his 150th Premier League appearance for the club.
The Hammers could be without Pablo Fornals, who missed the victory at Watford after a positive Covid-19 test.
LAWRO’S PREDICTION
Both these sides enjoyed comfortable wins last time out, but West Ham probably needed theirs more because they had started to look a bit leggy.
This should be a good game because Crystal Palace will think they can get at the Hammers, and vice versa. I think it’s going to be close, which is why I am going for a draw.
Prediction: 1-1
Lawro’s full predictions v KAWALA guitarist Dan McCarthy
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
- Crystal Palace have won just two of the past 13 Premier League meetings, both in 2019-20.
- Both sides have scored in each of the nine most recent Premier League encounters – but the team scoring first has failed to win any of those matches.
Crystal Palace
- Palace’s only defeat in their 10 Premier League home games this season came against Aston Villa in November.
- The Eagles could score in 10 consecutive top-flight home fixtures for the second time, after a run of 12 in 1990.
- Crystal Palace are in danger of equalling Bolton’s Premier League record of six successive New Year’s Day matches without a win.
- Nonetheless, they are unbeaten in all 13 home league games played on 1 January (W7, D6).
West Ham United
- West Ham can win 10 of their opening 20 Premier League matches in a season for only the second time, emulating 2020-21.
- Their only victory in the past nine Premier League away London derbies was by 3-2 at Crystal Palace a year ago.
- David Moyes has lost just once in his 13 league contests as a manager against Palace, winning nine.
- Moyes has won nine Premier League fixtures on New Year’s Day, one shy of the record held jointly by Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger.
- Said Benrahma has been directly involved in eight goals in 19 Premier League games in 2021-22, one more than he managed in 30 games last season.
- At 22 years and 352 days of age, Declan Rice is set to replace Mark Noble as the youngest West Ham player to reach 150 Premier League appearances for the club.
Choose your Crystal Palace starting formation and line-up. It’s up to you how to approach it – you could go for the team you WANT the boss to pick or the one you THINK he will.
Choose your West Ham starting formation and line-up. It’s up to you how to approach it – you could go for the team you WANT the boss to pick or the one you THINK he will.
- Our coverage of your Premier League club is bigger and better than ever before – here’s everything you need to know to make sure you never miss a moment
