Crystal Palace

Alex Howell
BBC Sport football news reporter

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It could be an exciting time at Crystal Palace over the next few months.

The Eagles are in good form in the Premier League and are one step away from the FA Cup quarter-finals if they can beat rivals Milwall on Saturday.

But things look to be stepping up off the pitch too.

The club originally submitted plans to redevelop Selhurst Park in 2018 but those plans were delayed due to the pandemic and also the club finishing the work on the academy upgrade.

The club provided an update to supporters in June about the next steps but chairman Steve Parish, who was speaking at the Financial Times Business of Football Summit, says that work on the main stand build should start at the end of the season.

Speaking about a range of topics including investment and the Premier League, Parish said: "Everybody knows we're redeveloping the stadium starting this summer."

The work will increase the capacity of Selhurst Park to 34,000 when completed and is an exciting new chapter for the club.

Tottenham could make a move for Crystal Palace's Eberechi Eze in the summer after becoming a "concrete option" for the England winger, 26. (Give Me Sport), external

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Jean-Philippe Mateta's form has had plenty of people talking and so has Adam Wharton's shining performance in the thrashing of Aston Villa.

But what is the one thing no-one is talking about at Crystal Palace but really should be?

Tell us here

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Crystal Palace striker Eddie Nketiah says he would like more game time but knows he "can't influence the manager's decision".

The 25-year-old, who signed from Arsenal in the summer, scored his first Premier League goal for Palace against Aston Villa on Wednesday after replacing Ismaila Sarr in the closing stages.

But minutes have been limited for the striker due to Jean-Philippe Mateta's magnificent form and Sarr's ongoing goal contributions.

To date, Nketiah has made 19 Premier League appearances for the Eagles, with 13 of those coming from the bench.

"It's nice to get the win and get my first one in the Premier League [for Palace]," Nketiah said. "It's a good feeling, and nice to obviously share that moment with my family, friends and team-mates, so I'm really delighted.

"I can't influence the manager's decision in terms of selection, but I try to do it every day on the grass by working hard.

"I would like to play more minutes, but that's life. The team have been doing well and I've just got to keep doing my thing when I get opportunities. Hopefully I can go on a nice run now."

Alex Howell
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Crystal Palace have turned a corner after a slow start to the season.

The Eagles won just one of their first 10 league games but their fortunes are now completely different and they have suffered just three losses in 15 league games.

The 4-1 win over Aston Villa felt key, with a number of milestones for players in the Crystal Palace squad.

Midfielder Adam Wharton started his first league game since October after injury, striker Jean-Philippe Mateta scored again, playmaker Eberechi Eze looked back to his free-flowing self and summer signing Eddie Nketiah scored his first Premier League goal for the club.

Palace have the chance to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals when they face rivals Millwall on Saturday, and are now chasing a second successive top-half finish.

"We all get the reward and the players get the reward for their hard work," Glasner said.

"We expected it. I mentioned it quite often that the start would be quite bumpy. Pre-season did not go in the perfect way and many players arrived late, but the most important thing is that we stayed together and worked hard.

"We can see the progress and development of individual players, of the system and the players know how we have to play and what we have to do.

"One thing is theory and the other thing is transform it on to the pitch. That's one thing they have been doing really well in the past few weeks and months."

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We asked for your views on Crystal Palace's performance against Aston Villa in the Premier League.

Here are some of your comments:

Jay: A stylish victory. Smart management from Oliver Glasner helped us maintain the momentum, even after Villa had a goal disallowed. It is so nice to see Eberechi Eze and Adam Wharton back to full fitness and playing with such fluidity. No reason now why we cannot keep pushing for the top 10 and beyond. We have the quality.

Gyika: A fantastic win with arguably our strongest starting XI. At times we made a decent side look bang average. Europe? Who says no?

Andrzej: This game was fundamentally about the lads having fun. Every player from Palace looked as if they wanted to be nowhere other than on that pitch playing whole team footie.

James: This match was a microcosm of our season - awful start, but then just got better and better. Great performances all over the pitch, but the most encouraging thing is the obviously strong team spirit, as evidenced by the celebrations for Eddie Nketiah's goal. Onwards and upwards!

Neil: Great to see consistent, positive, quality football from the Eagles. Their work-rate and athleticism are beginning to make the best teams look awkward and pedestrian.

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Oliver Glasner says Crystal Palace "have to be patient" with midfielder Adam Wharton, after the 21-year-old made his first Premier League start since October in the Eagles' win over Aston Villa on Tuesday.

The England international played a key role in the 4-1 victory, and speaking about the midfielder after the game, Glasner said: "Everybody knows what Adam can do - but we have to be patient.

"Since the final of the Euros, he's struggled - he will get more minutes."

England boss Thomas Tuchel was in attendance at Selhurst Park and Glasner is sure Wharton will get many more international appearances, but questioned whether he should be included in the squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia next month.

"He will get many games for the Three Lions in his career. I don't know if this will be the right moment in March after a long injury," he said.

"Give him time, he is a young boy with a great talent. But at the end of the day it will be Thomas Tuchel's decision."

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Eddie Nketiah had failed to score with his previous 40 shots in the Premier League before netting the club's fourth goal against Aston Villa.

The striker spoke to Premier League prioduction after Tuesday's victory: "Nice to get the win and the first one in the Premier League. Nice to share that moment.

"It was a good performance. First and second half we reacted well. A dominant performance, but we were clinical in the second half.

"It was nice to win at home and put that losing run to bed. The mood is buzzing, the music is bouncing and everyone is happy."

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Oliver Glasner spoke to BBC Match of the Day after Crystal Palace's victory against Aston Villa: "Everybody is pleased with the win. Congrats to the players for this great performance.

"The momentum of the game can change when you face a team with the quality of Villa. We didn't allow the momentum changes, and we kept going. We were very aggressive and waited for our chances. We scored fantastic goals, all the credit to the players."

On Ismaila Sarr: "We don't have time to celebrate. In four days we face Millwall. Of course, a win, and a goal, and a great performance from him and the team - great birthday for him."

On form lately: "To be honest, the first time we didn't speak about winning this game. We talked about what we wanted to do.

"They matched us, but the players know what they have to do, and they did it in a fantastic intensity. We talked about what we want to do and what we need to do. The result is the consequence of a great performance."

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Crystal Palace's performance

What did you make of Aston Villa's display?

Come back to this page on Wednesday to find a selection of your replies

Four matches make up Tuesday's Premier League action and we will bring you every moment.

• Brighton v Bournemouth

• Crystal Palace v Aston Villa

• Wolves v Fulham

• Chelsea v Southampton (20:15)

All kick-off times 19:30 GMT unless stated

Follow all the action and reaction here

Alex Pewter
Fan writer

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There is an old cliche about 2-0 leads and the dangers of complacency that come with them. Clearly Oliver Glasner and his team are not aware of this.

The 2-0 victory on Saturday against Fulham was the fourth successive away win by that margin in the Premier League.

This team's efficiency when not playing at Selhurst Park has been stellar. Over the past eight away games, Palace topped the league in points gained - six wins, two draws, and zero defeats - while only conceding three times.

Glasner's issue is that, despite the club-record-breaking nature of this away run, the home form - at least in terms of results - is not living up to that lofty standard. The past eight fixtures at home have yielded only one victory against the worst team in the division and six points in total.

So, what is not clicking for the team at Selhurst Park?

Is it simply that the team is aptly suited to playing more of a counter-attacking style, where the opposition is more likely to play with a higher line? Or is this all a statistical anomaly that is likely to even out?

For fans of expected goals (xG) as a rough guide, the attacking numbers are reasonably even home or away over this eight-game sample.

In attack, Palace averaged 1.52 xG at home and 1.59 xG away per game. The team has been more wasteful at Selhurst, underperforming their xG total by 3.12, according to Opta.

However, the difference defensively is stark from home to away. Thanks partly to Arsenal's 5-1 win in December, the team is -5.41 xG versus goals conceded.

They are vastly overperforming on the road, +6.37 against the chances conceded. The team has also been very good at preventing those chances from getting on target, and Dean Henderson has 'prevented' 2.86 goals for those that have.

It is a riddle for Glasner and co to solve, perhaps. Yet, it would seem that the bad luck at home should eventually swing around – something the larger section of the fanbase in attendance for those games will be desperate for.

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It looks like fifth place will get you into the Champions League next season and that is the most interesting race at the top now the title is pretty much done and dusted.

Half of the Premier League will feel they have a chance of making it and Aston Villa are definitely one of those sides in the hunt.

I am not sure Villa will pick up three points here, though.

Crystal Palace don't score many goals at home - just 12 in 13 league games this season - and they don't win that many there either, just two so far in fact.

But at the same time, Villa are not great on the road - they have only won once away in the Premier League since the middle of October.

I don't like to mention it but I was exactly right about Villa beating Chelsea 2-1 at the weekend, and I feel like they are a much easier team to predict than Palace are.

People are getting excited about what Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio will do in Unai Emery's side but I think this is a tough game for Villa, especially with the form Jean-Philippe Mateta is in for Palace.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

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Crystal Palace have won five of their past six Premier League home games against Aston Villa and beat them 5-0 at Selhurst Park last season.

The reverse fixture in November finished 2-2 – Villa have beaten the Eagles at least once in the past seven top-flight campaigns in which they have met.

Adwaidh Rajan
BBC Sport journalist

Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner has been speaking to the media before Tuesday's Premier League game against Aston Villa at Selhurst Park (kick-off 19:30 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Glasner hinted that midfielder Adam Wharton, who recently returned from a three-month injury lay-off, could make his first league start since a 1-0 win against Tottenham last October.

• He said: "We have to think about what's best for the Aston Villa game, how they play and finding the perfect fit. And also, maybe some players are a little fatigued. Adam is doing well, doing fine, and there's a possibility that he starts the game."

• The Palace boss, who oversaw a 2-0 win over Fulham on Saturday, said: "After winning, the mood is good. Everybody is feeling well. Players are fit with no injuries, so it's all good."

• He said the formation he employs at Palace works mainly because he has a very attacking right wing-back in Daniel Munoz, who scored his third league goal of the season in the derby victory at Craven Cottage at the weekend.

• On setting a club record by winning four consecutive away league games, Glasner said: "Every single win was deserved. It's not that we were lucky at all. The players did well. It was great commitment from them to get the results." But he warned his players that the focus should be on performance rather than past results when they face a "great challenge" against Aston Villa.

• Palace have six victories and four draws in their 13 away games but have only won twice at Selhurst Park. Asked why they have failed to replicate their away form at home, Glasner added: "We would lead the league table if we also win every game at home. It is the Premier League. Every game is decided by two or three chances."

• On facing Villa, the Austrian said: "They play with a clear structure in and out of possession and are very threatening on set-pieces, like they did in the win against Chelsea." He described Villa as a "high-quality team" but believes his side have skills to create chances and score goals against them.

• Glasner was full of praise for Villa counterpart Unai Emery. He said: "It's big credit to their manager. He is a great manager. Wherever he has managed, you could see how he wants to play and he has been quite successful. Villa are eighth now, but maybe they expected a little bit more. They would want to be in the Champions League positions and it will be important for them to win at Selhurst to reduce the gap to the top four."

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We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Fulham and Crystal Palace.

Here are some of your comments:

Fulham fans

Will: Probably the worst performance of the season - just after one of our best. This lack of consistency is going to get us nowhere. We need to be better for Wolves.

PJ: Shockingly poor. Hard to imagine it was the same starting XI as played against Nottingham Forest as we were utterly bereft of ideas. Too ponderous and predictable. Palace completely dominated in every sense but especially tactically. Marco Silva is far too slow to identify when our tactics are not working. It needed changing after 20, not 80 minutes. When will our players realise that trying to complete 95 passes in an attempt to score is futile?

John: We were so poor that I struggle to remember a single purposeful attempt at scoring. Palace outplayed and outclassed us completely. Too many failing to put in a shift. Too many big price tags? Many Fulham fans must have thought we were going somewhere at last. The upcoming games are ominous: Wolves (who've thrashed us already); Manchester United in the cup, Brighton, Tottenham and Arsenal.

Andrew: As good as Fulham were last week, they were dreadful here. No answer to Palace's pressing and nobody willing to shoot.

Palace fans

Gary: Another great away day. Eberechi Eze was more like his old self. Great goal by Daniel Munoz - and by Jean-Philippe Mateta. Such a shame it was just offside. Every player was fantastic. We need to start winning at home, starting against Aston Villa on Tuesday.

Steve: I thought this was our best performance of the season. Not sure what Oliver Glasner is putting in Will Hughes's coffee but what a season he is having - man of the match for me.

Roger: A convincing victory. The result was never in doubt. Huge contrast to the home game against Fulham earlier in the season. This squad are capable of a strong finish to the season.

Jackb: Probably one of best performances of the season. Everyone on the pitch was great. I'm loving our away form. We just need to really click at home now and who knows what can happen this season?

Chris Latchem
Final Score reporter

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It must be tough being Will Hughes. So often he turns out full-blooded, lung-busting, pit-bull performances for Crystal Palace and, every week when he tunes in to Match of the Day, all his mates share around the praise.

I guess that is the nature of playing for one of 'the other 14'.

If Palace score goals, inevitably the highlights focus on Jean-Philippe Mateta and Eberechi Eze. If it is a defensive showing, captain Marc Guehi often gets the glow.

On Saturday, Hughes shaped the game against Fulham - and therefore the victory.

He crunched into tackles to set the tone, was key in transition to send the stars flying forward - and when Palace eased off the boil as they closed in on a fourth straight Premier League away win, he rollicked his team-mates to up their intensity.

Without him, the win would have been nowhere near as comfortable.

While he might not feature in many highlight reels, he was given the ultimate honour by those who recognise exactly what he serves up week in, week out.

The travelling Palace fans chanted his name as he was given a well-earned rest late into the game.

Quality fans recognising a brilliant performance.

Crystal Palace are keen on signing 19-year-old Liverpool forward Lewis Koumas and 19-year-old winger Ben Doak, who are on loan at Stoke and Middlesbrough respectively. (Alan Nixon – subscription required), external

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