![[Pre-Match Thread] Crystal Palace vs. Aston Villa](https://www.eucup.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Pxa4AFgGB4DUG5mIU6YNcKmsQXqVXVPYzRw8pDbhd8o-1024x767.jpeg "[Pre-Match Thread] Crystal Palace vs. Aston Villa")
Crystal Palace vs. Aston Villa
Competition: Premier League – Round 21
Date: Wed 07 Jan 2026
Kickoff: 19:30
Venue: Selhurst Park
Referee: Andrew Madley
Aston Villa Statistics (all competitions)
Form: WWWLW
Goals per match: 1.6
Average Possession: 54.4%
Goals conceded per match: 1.2
Pass Accuracy: 85.8%
Shots per game: 11.8
Tackles per game: 15
Clean Sheets: 8
Crystal Palace Statistics (all competitions)
Form: LLLDL
Goals per match: 1.2
Average Possession: 43%
Goals conceded per match: 1.2
Pass Accuracy: 77.3%
Shots per game: 12
Tackles per game: 19.5
Clean Sheets: 10
Aston Villa Team News
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Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres will be assessed ahead of Aston Villa’s Premier League trip to Crystal Palace.
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Mings has not featured since early November while fellow centre-back Torres has been sidelined for the past six matches. But the pair are closing in on their respective first-team returns, and Unai Emery will run the rule over his squad of players after Tuesday’s training session.
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Midfielders Amadou Onana and Ross Barkley continue to miss out due to injury, while Evann Guessand remains on international duty with Ivory Coast at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Crystal Palace Team News
- Oliver Glasner has confirmed that Nathaniel Clyne and Jefferson Lerma will miss Wednesday's match but said that Chris Richards will return to the matchday squad.
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Aston Villa have lost three of their last four Premier League games against Crystal Palace (D1). They’ve conceded 14 goals in these four games, as many as they had in their previous 15 against the Eagles in the competition.
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Following their 3-0 win at Villa Park in August, Crystal Palace are looking to complete their first league double over Aston Villa since 2013-14.
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This is Aston Villa’s fourth consecutive away league game in London (W2 L1 previously), the first time they’ve played four in a row in the capital since between December and February in the 1989-90 campaign, a run from which they took three wins and a defeat.
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Palace have won nine of their 13 Premier League home games against Aston Villa (D2 L2), including six of the last seven and the last three in a row. It’s their most home wins against any opponent in the competition.
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Villa have picked up 42 points in their 20 Premier League games this season (W13 D3 L4), while a win here would have them on 45+ points from their opening 21 matches of a league campaign for just the third time (assuming 3 pts/win all-time), after 1895-96 (45) and 1898-99 (48), both seasons in which they won the top-flight title.
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Crystal Palace have lost four of their last five Premier League games (D1), more than their previous 21 beforehand (W9 D9 L3).
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Since the start of December, no player has scored more Premier League goals than Ollie Watkins (6, level with Dominic Calvert-Lewin). The Aston Villa striker is looking to score in 4+ consecutive appearances in the competition for just the third time, and first since April 2023.
How are you feeling? What's your starting XI? Predictions? UTV!
by just_boof_it
6 Comments
They have so many absences. It still will be hard to shake the curse (like United) but I have faith. UTV.
The possibility of having Mings and Pau back is huge. If we cant beat them while they are missing Sarr, Kamada, Munoz, Richards not starting, Nketiah, Clyne and Lerma, then I don’t think we ever will until Glasner leaves.
Recent results against Palace be damned. We’re winning this one. And apparently one or two people were missing my 4-0 predictions so we’re bringing it back. Watkins x2, Cash and then a Jimoh-Aloba banger to close things out.
Great to have Mings and Pau close to return as well. UTFV, this game’s ours.
I dont think we will win, and its not because we arent great, its just a fixture and a system that has haunted us constantly
If ever we were gonna get something, it would be when their captain is being chased by city, sarr is away, their form is horrendous, they have injuries, they are struggling with the calender, we are playing well away scoring goals etc
But its palace. When they humped us when we finished 4th, not only did it ruin unais perfect London record, but its put a curse on us
Another fantastic opportunity to widen the gap against Liverpool and Chelsea, particularly the former who probably have their toughest fixture of the season on Thursday. Win this and we have a real opportunity to go into MW22 11 points clear of 4th!
Won’t be an easy game, regardless of who’s missing, but no better time to be playing them then now.
I have seen a lot of pessimism about playing Palace, but hey, they are on a terrible run of form and look absolutely knackered… I can only see them scoring 3 this time.