Match Pack: Crystal Palace
Men
4 March 23
At A Glance
Aston Villa host Crystal Palace at Villa Park on Saturday, looking to pick up back-to-back Premier League wins.
Unai Emery’s team scored twice in the second half of their last outing to beat Everton at Goodison Park 2-0.
One of those goals came from the in-form Ollie Watkins, who has scored in five consecutive games.
A win against the Toffees left Villa 11th in the table, one place and four points above Saturday’s opponents Palace.
The Londoners are yet to win in 2023, having gone nine games without a victory since beating Bournemouth on New Year’s Eve.
In that span, Patrick Vieira’s side have scored only five times while conceding 12 goals.
Standout Stats
Aston Villa have lost just one of their 10 Premier League home games against Crystal Palace (W5, D4).
Palace won 3-1 v Villa at Selhurst Park in August, and are aiming to complete a league double over Villa for the first time since 2013/14.
Defeat on Saturday would be Villa's 400th in their Premier League history.
Crystal Palace have scored multiple goals in only one of their 26 matches away to Aston Villa - that was in a 4-3 defeat in the FA Cup third round in 1962.
Villa have conceded 15 goals from set-pieces in the Premier League this season, including penalties; only Bournemouth have conceded more.
Crystal Palace are on the longest current winless run in the Premier League, failing to win any of their eight games in 2023 (D5, L3).
Unai Emery has never beaten Palace in three previous Premier League meetings as Arsenal manger (D2, L1).
Palace have failed to have a single shot on target in a Premier League-high three games this season.
Ollie Watkins could become the first Villa player to score in six successive top-flight games since Andy Gray in 1977.
The Eagles are the only team in the division yet to score a first-half goal in 2023.
The Last Meeting
Two goals in the opening seven minutes – one for Ollie Watkins and a swift reply from Wilfried Zaha – set the tone for a fast-paced encounter against Palace back in August.
Emiliano Martínez made a superb one-handed stop to keep out a Zaha spot kick in the second half, but the Argentine could do nothing to stop the winger tapping home the rebound.
Substitute Jean-Philippe Mateta put the finishing touches on Palace’s victory when he volleyed in moments after coming onto the pitch.
Team News
Villa will be without Jed Steer, Diego Carlos, Philippe Coutinho and Leander Dendoncker as they go for victory against the Eagles.
Robin Olsen is fit to return having missed out on the last three matchday squads.
Patrick Vieira confirmed that Wilfried Zaha will return to the Palace squad after a four-game absence.
Sam Johnstone and Nathan Ferguson remain sidelined.
The Boss
“It’s a difficult match. They are playing and being consistent aside from the results. They don’t concede a lot of chances to the opponent. They are playing with a good idea. I know tomorrow we have to be consistent across the 90 minutes because it’s not a match that will be decided easily or quickly. The starting XI have to be ready, the players on the bench need to be ready to make an impact if we need it."
Unai Emery
