Wherever Alan Pardew chooses to watch Saturday's match against the side he once helped reach an FA Cup Final as a player, the banished Newcastle boss will be certain that his team are in for a tough encounter. Crystal Palace are fighting hard to preserve their Premier League status for next season and will be fully motivated for their second game in the North East within a week. Match Preview Newcastle's topsy turvy season took another nose dive last weekend with defeat away to Fulham, the league's basement dwellers. The Magpies have struggled for consistency since the turn of the year and can often be an infuriating side to watch. In the hullabaloo surrounding Pardew's rush of blood to the head at Hull, it was largely forgotten how well his team played that day, only for it all to fall apart again one week later. Newcastle's season has all but petered out now after a strong start to the campaign and in truth they have little to play for apart from pride. The Tynesiders sit in a comfortable ninth position and Saturday's match will be the first of consecutive home games, with Everton making the trip north on Tuesday. In contrast, Crystal Palace know that they must treat each game as a cup final if they are to escape the dreaded drop. A win at St James' Park would mark a first league away victory for Pulis' men in 2014 and is desperately needed after last weekend's 0-0 draw against fellow strugglers Sunderland. The players will be well aware that if they lose on Saturday and Sunderland overcome Norwich, then the Eagles will once again find themselves in the bottom three with only eight games to play. Palace are currently on a four game winless streak and a fixture against a team lacking motivation and key players is surely an opportunity that they must take advantage of if they are to survive.
Team News
Newcastle are without top goalscorer Loic Remy. The Frenchman is still sidelined with the calf injury that kept him out of last week's defeat away to Fulham. Magpies' fans will no doubt be delighted to see de Jong and Cisse partnered up front in his absence; the pair having only mustered one league goal between them all season. Fullbacks Debuchy and Santon are also out but there's better news for Newcastle fans with Ben Arfa expected to be back in Saturday's squad. Palace have attacking problems of their own with Pulis confirming that Chamakh will miss out with an ongoing hamstring issue. The Eagle's boss has described the Moroccans absence as a 'massive blow' to his side. Glen Murray is likely to continue upfront.
One To Watch - Tom Ince
A January loan signing from Blackpool, the young Englishman wasted no time in establishing his Premier League credentials with a goal and an assist on his debut. The winger has struggled to make as much impact in recent weeks but with Chamakh out he was pushed forward into the number 10 position last week in support of Murray. Pulis will be hoping that Ince can use his electrifying pace to take him away from Newcastle's defence and create opportunities for Palace. Likely Lineups Newcastle: Krul, Yanga-Mbwia, Williamson, Coloccini, Dummett, Sissoko, Tiote, Anita, Gouffran, de Jong, Cisse Crystal Palace: Speroni, Ward, Dann, Mariappa, Delaney, Bolasie, Jedinak, Dikgacoi, Ledley, Ince, Murray WhatCulture prediction: Palace will be happy to leave the North East with a pair of draws. With both teams missing key forwards don't expect many goals in this one. 1-1 Stats courtesy of ESPN
