Despite winning just one of their last 12 matches across all competitions, Crystal Palace enter Tuesday night’s game against Sheffield United as strong favourites. Roy Hodgson has faced significant pressure due to their recent struggles. Their current run has led to dropping out of the top half of the table, leaving them only five points above Luton in the relegation zone, with Luton having a game in hand.
Difference Makers
Eberechi Eze will be the danger man on Tuesday evening as he attempts to add more goals and assists to his existing tally of four in the Premier League this season.
This season, Eze has registered an average of 3.6 shots per game, ranking him in the top 1% of attacking midfielders/wingers in the league. While he also has one of the best successful take-ons numbers in the top-flight as well with 3.3 per game.
For the Blades, Ben Brereton-Diaz can continue to be a huge threat. In his Premier League debut for United he got on the scoresheet, but it was his overall impact on the game which stood out. Ending the match with an expected goals of 0.9 shows he’s getting in the right areas to score, and his two out of three successful dribble attempts gives United that injection of energy and directness that they’ve missed all season.
He will likely be up against seasoned-pro Nathaniel Clyne so it will be interesting to see how he fairs in that individual battle.
Stats
Crystal Palace have a strong recent record against Sheffield United in the Premier League, having won their last three encounters and keeping a clean sheet each time. The last time they achieved four consecutive league victories against the Blades was between 1987 and 1991.
Sheffield United managed a solitary away league win against Palace, a 1-0 victory in February 2020, amidst their recent visits.
Interestingly, all seven Premier League meetings between Crystal Palace and Sheffield United have been won by the side keeping a clean sheet, making it the most played fixture in the competition’s history where both teams have failed to score in a game.