Crystal Palace will look to return to winning ways when they face AFC Bournemouth away from Selhurst Park on Boxing Day.
The Eagles lost back-to-back games against Arsenal, first in the Carabao Cup and then in the Premier League, but Oliver Glasner’s side have been in good form recently.
Prior to the defeat against the Gunners, Palace were unbeaten in their previous five games, winning two of them.
Palace will boosted by the return of three key players against the Cherries. Glasner confirmed in the press conference today that Eberechi Eze will be back on the side after missing the previous game due to a minor injury.
Daniel Munoz missed the previous game after picking up a suspension, and the right-wing back will go straight into the starting line-up on Thursday.
Trevoh Chalobah was an unused substitute on Saturday, and he is likely to return against Bournemouth in a three-man defence alongside Marc Guehi and Maxence Lacroix.
Palace progressing well despite defeat against Arsenal
The Eagles lost 5-1 against the Gunners, but the scoreline isn’t a fair reflection of their performance last week.
Palace should have done better while defending set-pieces, and they created chances to come back into the game despite going 3-1 down at the break.
They were also missing a bit of quality without Eze and Munoz. Therefore, Glasner should not worry about the latest defeat against a quality opposition. Rather, he must focus on motivating his players for the upcoming challenge.
With four wins and a draw, Bournemouth are simply on fire at the moment, and the Cherries are aiming for European places under Andoni Iraola.
They have won four games at home (their away form is far better) and are fifth in the Premier League table. So, Palace can expect a tough game at the Vitality Stadium.
After a dreadful start to the season, the Eagles have found momentum and have jumped to 16th in the table with 16 points on board. With Eze and Munoz now set to return, they should aim for all three points on Thursday.