Friday evening marks Tottenham Hotspur's third London derby in five matches as they look to extend their unbeaten start to the season and their lead at the top of the Premier League table.
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A win would put Spurs five points clear at the top before third-placed Arsenal, who are level on points with second-placed Manchester City, face Sheffield United on Saturday.
Ange Postecoglou's side make the trip Crystal Palace in high spirits having won their last three matches, most recently against Fulham on Monday evening.
However, Palace will provide a different test. They have only conceded three goals in their four Premier League home matches this season, and their solitary defeat at Selhurst Park came against Arsenal.
While the Eagles are missing key attacking players such as Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise, they still have a resolute defensive base to their team in centre-back duo Marc Guehi and Joachim Andersen, plus midfielder Cheick Doucoure.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Man City
MCI
|
38 | +62 | 91 |
| 2 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
38 | +62 | 89 |
| 3 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
38 | +45 | 82 |
| 4 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
38 | +15 | 68 |
Team News
As well as Eze and Olise, who face extended spells on the sidelines, Palace will also likely be without James Tomkins and summer signing Dean Henderson.
Spurs' Yves Bissouma will be available to play on Friday after serving his one-match suspension against Fulham. Destiny Udogie is a doubt, while Pape Matar Sarr has recovered from illness and is in contention to play.
Last five meetings
06 May 2023: Spurs 1-0 Crystal Palace
04 Jan 2023: Crystal Palace 0-4 Spurs
26 Dec 2021: Spurs 3-0 Crystal Palace
11 Sep 2021: Crystal Palace 3-0 Spurs
07 Mar 2021: Spurs 4-1 Crystal Palace
Key facts
Palace will be looking to win their third match against London opposition in 16 attempts since the start of last season, with both victories so far coming against West Ham United.
Friday night will mark Roy Hodgson's 500th match in charge of English clubs in all competitions, with his 100th and 200th resulting in defeats, while his 300th and 400th match ended in victories.
Spurs have won 61 per cent of their Premier League matches against Palace, with 17 wins from 28 contests. Of the teams they have faced at least 20 times, they only have a higher win-rate against Sunderland, with 66 per cent.
James Maddison is only the third player to score or assist in each of their first five matches at a Premier League club, with no player managing to make it six.
What the managers said
Hodgson: “Tomorrow night is going to be a very different game for us. We have got to find a way somehow of stopping what has proved to be something of a juggernaut so far.
“You don't play Manchester City every week, you don't play Arsenal every week, and now Tottenham have joined that group of teams that ask you very special questions.
“It’s because a) they are very good physically, like Newcastle; b) they are excellent technically; and c) they have a system of play which all the players understand, and the rotation asks a lot of questions of your team.” More details
Postecoglou: “We’re certainly not the kind of team that can go in and think we can dismiss any opponent as someone we can dominate easily.
“We’ll have to work hard. It was a disappointing result for them last week (a 4-0 loss at Newcastle United) and they are going to come out, especially on their home ground, where they have been very consistent, especially defensively.
"We’ll have to be on it to try to impose our game on them and make sure we continue our good form. Looking at the way the guys are trying, they’re all fit and raring to go.” More details
