Palace v Sunderland

Selhurst Park, Monday 8.00pm

Scott Dann (Photo: Andy Roberts)

Story so far

Crystal Palace welcome Sunderland to Selhurst Park this weekend in an important game for both sides. Palace sit a point above the visitors and will be hoping to extend that lead this weekend.

Mile Jedinak is enjoying a fine season in the centre of midfield for Crystal Palace. Jedinak has won more tackles than anyone else in the Premier League with 43, according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index. He has also made the most interceptions in the entire division with 32, and is the joint top goalscorer among the Palace squad with three goals.

Fraizer Campbell is the player level with Jedinak for goals and has had 61.5% of his shots on target. Campbell is also the fastest player in the Palace squad, having been clocked running at 35.3km/h according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index. Campbell is 11/5 to score anytime with 888sport.com.

Campbell’s fellow Englishman Jason Puncheon has been impressive for Palace so far this season. Puncheon has more successful dribbles than anyone else in the Crystal Palace squad, with 17, according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.

Sunderland will be hoping to bounce back from two defeats in a row, in which they conceded ten goals in total.

Despite enduring a rather torrid time of late, Sunderland’s keeper, Vito Mannone, has made the second most saves of any goalkeeper in the Premier League according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, having made 30 saves, only two less than Robert Green who has made the most saves in the Premier League. It is 51/10 with 888sport.com for Sunderland to win with a clean sheet.

Someone who will be assisting Mannone in search of a clean sheet is fullback Patrick Van Aanholt. The former Chelsea man has made more tackles than anyone in the Sunderland squad, dispossessing the opponent on 33 occasions this season, according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.

John O’Shea and Wes Brown have both made 41 clearances each this season, the highest total within the Sunderland squad, according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index. Keeping tight at the back is vital for Sunderland if they are to come away with a result this weekend, and this pair are key to that.

Data supplied by the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index. Select and manage your own team of stars at fantasy.premierleague.com or with FIFA Ultimate Team for FIFA 14.

Team news

Crystal Palace defender Scott Dann's hopes to be enough to play after sustaining a knee injury at Hull a month ago.

"I don’t think I’m completely ruled out for Monday but I wouldn’t like to say I’ll be fit and then I don’t play, it’s taking it day by day," he told the Advertiser.

"I’ll know at the weekend if I’ll be ready or not. It’s only been around three weeks, and after just one I was able to run so I have kept my fitness up really well. I haven’t lost any fitness work."

James McArthur is set to return after a hip problem and Damien Delaney is available for selection after serving his one-match ban.

Sunderland striker Steven Fletcher is ready for selection. He suffered a foot problem against Arsenal last week but has shaken it off.

Defenders Sebastian Coates (thigh) and Billy Jones (hamstring) and midfielders Ricky Alvarez (knee) and Emanuele Giaccherini (ankle) are all out.

Palace (from): Speroni, Hennessey, Mariappa, Kelly, Fryers, Delaney, Ward, Hangeland, Jedinak, Bannan, Ledley, McArthur, Bolasie, Thomas, Puncheon, Gayle, Guediora, Campbell, Johnson, Doyle, Chamakh, Zaha.

Sunderland (from): Mannone, Pantilimon, Reveillere, Van Aanholt, Brown, O'Shea, Vergini, Roberge, Cattermole, Bridcutt, Rodwell, Gomez, Larsson, Johnson, Buckley, Mavrias, Wickham, Altidore, Fletcher, Graham.

Last five results

Date	Type	Home Team	Score	Away Team
15/03/2014	League	Sunderland	0 - 0	Crystal Palace
31/08/2013	League	Crystal Palace	3 - 1	Sunderland
30/01/2007	League	Sunderland	0 - 0	Crystal Palace
22/12/2006	League	Crystal Palace	1 - 0	Sunderland
08/01/2005	FA Cup	Sunderland	2 - 1	Crystal Palace

All time results

Last meeting

Sunderland 0-0 Palace

Saturday March 15 2014

Sunderland: Mannone, Bardsley, Alonso, Bridcutt, O'Shea, Brown, Larsson (Gardner, 61), Ki, Fletcher (Altidore, 45), Johnson (Scocco, 83), Borini

Subs not used: Colback, Vergini, Ustari, Cattermole

Bookings: Brown, Larsson, Bridcutt, Gardner

Palace: Speroni, Mariappa, Ward, Dikgacoi, Dann, Delaney, Bolasie (Puncheon, 81), Jedinak, Murray (Jerome, 63), Ince (Guedioura, 74)
Ledley

Subs not used: McCarthy, Hennessey, Gayle, Thomas

Bookings: Mariappa, Ward, Delaney, Dikgacoi

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