Crystal Palace and Brentford are some of the on-form teams in England, and they are ready to play in what could be a pulsating London derby.

Two Premier League sides from London directly responsible for inflicting more misery on Liverpool, are set to take on each other in what could be a pulsating London derby when Crystal Palace host Brentford at Selhurst Park on Saturday.

Starting with Crystal Palace, Oliver Glasner’s men knocked the Merseyside outfit out of the EFL Cup earlier this week following a 3-0 reverse win at Anfield against a much-changed Liverpool side.

Meanwhile, in the Premier League, Galsner’s charges suffered a narrow loss to the table-topping Arsenal last weekend, owing to former star Eberechi Eze scoring the only goal in the game. The midweek win at Anfield did stop a winless run of four games across all competitions, and the Austrian tactician will now want to rebuild momentum to improve their league position.

Crystal Palace are currently tenth on the Premier League table. But given that a lot of the teams above them are playing each other, there is every chance to climb up in the rankings with a win. The South London outfit now face a rigid Brentford side, who are also seen as one of the in-form clubs in the division as things stand.

Keith Andrews will take his high-flying Brentford side on a short trip to Selhurst Park to continue building momentum. The Bees are currently level on points with Crystal Palace but a position behind based on goal difference. So, the West London outfit have the opportunity to climb a few places.

After early-season criticisms of Andrews and his team, the rookie manager has inflicted problems on some of the bigger teams, including Chelsea, Manchester United and then Liverpool last weekend. The game against the Reds had a setpiece-themed narrative to it, all due to Arne Slot’s complaints about long balls and throw-ins, as Brentford opened the scoring with one in the early parts through record signing Dango Ouattara.

Kevin Schade then doubled the lead before Milos Kerkez found one back before half-time. A second-half penalty from Igor Thiago proved decisive before a late strike from Mohamed Salah turned out to be a consolation. Then in midweek, Brentford put the Grimsby Town run to rest, following a 5-0 win over the minnows to reach the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup.

Team News & Tactics

Crystal Palace

Oliver Glasner left out some of his key stars in midweek, and the Crystal Palace manager could revert to his strongest team at the weekend to take on Brentford. On the injury front, Cheick Doucoure, Chadi Riad, and Caleb Kporha are the only players missing, with no fresh concerns after the win over Liverpool on Wednesday.

There is, however, a minor calf issue troubling key defender Chris Richards. Should the USMNT star stay out of the picture at the weekend, young centre-back Jaydee Canvot could be drafted in his place once again in that back three comprising Marc Guehi and Maxence Lacroix.

Tyrick Mitchell could return to the lineup in place of Borna Sosa in the left wing-back role, while Daniel Munoz is set to keep his place on the right side. Adam Wharton is also set to be recalled after being rested in the midweek EFL Cup tie, and he could replace Will Hughes in the middle of the park, while Daichi Kamada is likely to keep his spot.

Key performers from midweek, Yeremy Pino and Ismaila Sarr, will retain their spots in the final third, while Jean-Philippe Mateta is likely to replace Eddie Nketiah in the centre-forward role at the weekend.

Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Henderson; Richards, Lacroix, Guehi; Munoz, Wharton, Kamada, Mitchell; Sarr, Pino; Mateta

Brentford

Keith Andrews does not have too many worries with his squad, with the Brentford manager likely to assess key star Yehor Yarmolyuk ahead of kick-off against Crystal Palace after he picked up a problem against Liverpool last weekend.

Antoni Milambo and Joshua Dasilva are certainly ruled out with knee problems, while there will be a late assessment on Aaron Hickey, who also has a knee problem to deal with. Andrews made nine changes to his midweek lineup compared to the team that defeated Liverpool last weekend.

Hence, the Brentford boss is expected to make a considerable number of changes on this trip to take on Crystal Palace. Some of the performers from the midweek EFL Cup tie, including Reiss Nelson, could go back on the bench, while Kevin Schade and Dango Ouattara will feature in the final third alongside top scorer Thiago.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kelleher; Kayode, Collins, Berg, Ajer; Yarmoliuk, Henderson; Ouattara, Damsgaard, Schade; Thiago

Key Stats

• Brentford are undefeated in nine of their last ten matches against Crystal Palace in all competitions.
• Brentford have won their last three games across all competitions.
• Crystal Palace have one win in their last five games across all competitions.
• Crystal Palace are winless in their last three Premier League games. The Eagles have lost two of their three most recent top-flight matches (D1), as many as in their previous 19 games combined (W9 D8). However, they are unbeaten in their last ten at Selhurst Park (W5 D5).
• Brentford have scored eight Premier League goals via throw-ins since the start of last season, five more than any other side. The two sides to put the most long throws into the opposition penalty area this campaign are Brentford (47) and Crystal Palace (38).

Player to Watch

Ismalia Sarr

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The Senegalese international is a different animal when playing against Liverpool, and Oliver Glasner will want a similar vein of form when taking on other teams. Sarr, effectively, is showing the level of form to be deemed one of the best players for Crystal Palace this season, as Glasner will hope he continues on this vein for a long time to come.

With two adventurous teams taking the pitch at Selhurst Park, the game would need decisive players, and Sarr is certainly one of those. The key for the 27-year-old attacker is showing plenty of consistency, and the game against Brentford might represent a good opportunity to showcase that.

Prediction

Crystal Palace 2-1 Brentford

Brentford have been ruthless in many regards, and their recent form could come in handy when taking on a good enough team in Crystal Palace. The Bees also rely on set pieces, with the Eagles also in the top bracket on the account among Premier League sides, meaning this could be a close game in many regards

Crystal Palace, though, have the big advantage of playing at home, and that could prove decisive in this game. Moreover, Oliver Glasner’s structure could restrict Brentford in many ways, while the Eagles boast one of the in-form Premier League strikers in Jean-Philippe Mateta, who could be the difference makers alongside Sarr.

Hence, there is a big chance for Crystal Palace to secure a slender victory over Brentford in this game at Selhurst Park on Saturday. The Hard Tackle predicts a hard-fought 2-1 win for Glasner and his charges