Palace at ´top of their game´ could compete with anyone, says Richards

Chris Richards says Crystal Palace could compete with anyone when they are at the “top of their game” ahead of their trip to Aston Villa in the Premier League.

Palace have won just once in the league this season, a 1-0 home victory against Tottenham, and are yet to win on the road in the English top-flight, drawing two and losing three. However, they did beat the Villans 2-1 at Villa Park in the EFL Cup round of 16 at the end of October.

Richards acknowledged Palace’s poor start to the campaign but remains confident in their ability to go toe-to-toe against anyone they face.

“[Oliver Glasner] told us from the jump that there was no reason we shouldn’t be in a higher spot in the table, no reason why we should lose to any team,” Richards told the club’s in-house media.

“We could play a team winning the league – even when we played Manchester City, we were winning.

“City are City, and we lost the game, but it shows that while we were at the top of our game, we could play with any team in the league.”

The @premierleague action returns #CPFC pic.twitter.com/mmgeYnsAVy

— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) November 18, 2024

Meanwhile, after an impressive start to the season, Villa faltered slightly before the international break, going on a five-match winless run in all competitions, and losing the last three.

Morgan Rogers, who recently signed a new long-term extension with the club, has been a bright spark for Villa this term, netting three goals and registering two assists in the league, and he believes his form is helped by the faith shown in him by Unai Emery.

“I think any player would say that trust from a manager is the most important thing, and he gave me that from day one,” he said.

“He threw me in the deep end when people were injured last season and gave me a chance to shine and develop and to become the person I am now.

“He’s the perfect person for me. He demands and pushes me every day, and so do the players. I’ve got players around me that push me every day to improve and get better.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Aston Villa – Emiliano Martinez

Emiliano Martinez has the fourth-lowest save percentage in the Premier League this season (60.5%, minimum two games).

Only Alphonse Areola (-3.6) and Jose Sa (-2.9) have conceded more goals than expected according to Opta’s expected goals on target (xGoT) model than the current Yashin Trophy holder (-2.2).

Working pic.twitter.com/zvhSUYQCoV

— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) November 19, 2024

Crystal Palace – Jean-Philippe Mateta

Jean-Philippe Mateta has scored more Premier League goals (four) and recorded his joint-most assists (two) in the competition against Aston Villa than any other opponent.

The Frenchman was directly involved in four of the Eagles’ five goals in their 5-0 win over the Villans on the final day of last season (three goals, one assist).

MATCH PREDICTION: ASTON VILLA WIN

Villa have lost just one of their 12 Premier League home games against Palace (W7 D4), never conceding more than once in any of these 12 meetings (six goals conceded in total).

The away side has won just three of the 24 Premier League meetings between Villa and Palace (D6 L15), with the Eagles’ only victory at Villa Park coming in December 2013 (1-0).

However, Villa have lost both of their last two Premier League games and could lose three in a row in the competition for just the second time under manager Unai Emery, also doing so in February 2023.

Meanwhile, Palace have registered just seven points from their opening 11 league games this season (W1 D4 L6), only picking up fewer points at this stage of a Premier League campaign in 2013-14 (four) and 2017-18 (four).

A repeat of their last meeting would be a welcome sight for Oliver Glasner though. Following their 5-0 win against Villa on the final day of last season’s Premier League, Palace are looking to win consecutive league meetings with the Villans for the first time since a run of three between 2005 and 2014.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Aston Villa – 57.2%

Draw – 22.3%

Crystal Palace – 20.5%