Crystal Palace vs Burnley – News and Probable Lineups

Following the end of a nine-match winless streak in the Premier League, Crystal Palace welcomes Burnley to Selhurst Park on Wednesday, aiming to secure back-to-back top-flight wins for the first time since December.

The history between these teams certainly favors the Eagles, who have triumphed in their last three encounters against the Clarets and are expected to deepen Burnley’s woes by extending their current seven-match winless streak in midweek league fixtures.

Match overview

Oliver Glasner expressed his admiration for the Palace fans after the team’s 1-0 victory over rivals Brighton & Hove Albion, which marked the club’s first win in the top tier in 10 matches, dating back to a 2-1 win over Fulham on December 7.

This victory was the Eagles’ third in their last four league outings, all away from home against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Burnley, and Fulham, and the Austrian manager applauded the supporters for their patience during the team’s two-month struggle.

Looking to rebuild confidence at Selhurst Park, the South London side comes into this round 26 fixture, aiming for their first home league win since their 2-0 victory over Brentford at the start of November.

It has been seven matches in South London since that success against the Bees, with four resulting in defeats and three draws, but the Eagles will be hopeful of ending Burnley’s campaign with a 17th league defeat this week.

Indeed, three key statistics should encourage Palace fans ahead of Wednesday: the club has won the last three encounters with Burnley without conceding; the Eagles have remained unbeaten in 11 of their last 12 midweek Premier League matches; and they have enjoyed a nine-year unbeaten streak against teams starting the day in the relegation zone, winning 13 and drawing six.

With hopes to maintain this run, the 13th-placed hosts aim to extend their five-year unbeaten record against their second-bottom Lancashire opponents, who just suffered their 16th league defeat of the season last weekend.

Only bottom club Wolves (19) have suffered more defeats than Burnley, whose recent 2-0 loss at home to fellow strugglers West Ham United has left the Clarets eight points behind the Hammers.

With three additional points separating Scott Parker’s team from 17th-placed Nottingham Forest, the Lancashire club’s chances of avoiding relegation are rapidly diminishing, sitting 11 points away from safety.

After appearing to be on the brink of a hopeful turnaround in the relegation battle with three consecutive draws against Manchester United (2-2), Liverpool (1-1), and Tottenham Hotspur (2-2), Parker must rally a team reeling from back-to-back losses to Sunderland (3-0) and West Ham (2-0), both without scoring.

Those prospects seem slim given the Clarets’ overall away form this season, with only five of their 15 points claimed on the road — only Wolves (three) have fewer — and their situation worsens with a joint-high 30 goals conceded away from home and the worst away goal difference in the division (-17).

With Parker himself having not won in eight prior visits to London as a manager, recording five losses and three draws, the former West Ham midfielder’s team faces a challenging task to avoid another setback on their travels, striving to prevent a tenth away defeat of the season.

Team News

Although Palace seem to have emerged from their Brighton victory without any injuries, Glasner faces several player absences due to injuries: Eddie Nketiah (thigh), Cheick Doucouré (knee), Jean-Philippe Mateta (knee), Rio Cardines, and Caleb Kporha (back) are all unavailable, while Justin Devenny’s foot injury will be assessed prior to Wednesday.

Coming off consecutive scoring performances, AFCON 2025 winner Ismaila Sarr — who netted twice during last season’s visit to the Amex — is looking to score in three consecutive Premier League games.

Sunday’s goal raised his tally to five in the league this season, albeit three of those have been away from home, and the Senegal international seeks his first top-flight goal at Selhurst Park since September.

While Evann Guessand is vying for a first start since signing on loan from Aston Villa, it is anticipated the forward will begin on the bench at Selhurst Park, indicating a 21st Premier League start for Yeremy Pino.

Having missed out against his parent club West Ham, James Ward-Prowse may feature in some capacity at Palace, potentially making his debut appearance for the Clarets.

Expected to be sidelined due to injuries for Parker’s side are Mike Tresor (ankle), Zeki Amdouni (knee), Jordânia Beyer (thigh), Connor Roberts (groin), and John Cullen (knee), while Axel Tuanzebe’s Achilles issue will be evaluated.

With all five of Zian Flemming’s league goals coming away from home, the forward — who has scored 38.5% of the Clarets’ 13 away league goals — looks to add to that tally.

However, the Dutchman has not found the net on the road since December’s 2-1 defeat at Newcastle United, having failed to score in trips to Bournemouth and Sunderland, and it remains to be seen if he can break that streak.

Crystal Palace probable starting XI:

Henderson; Lerma, Lacroix, Richards; Munoz, Wharton, Hughes, Mitchell; Sarr, Pino; Larsen

Burnley probable starting XI:

Dubravka; Walker, Humphreys, Esteve, Pires; Edwards, Mejbri, Luis, Ugochukwu, Anthony; Flemming

While Palace have struggled to secure victories at Selhurst Park recently, their historical superiority over teams in the relegation zone and their winning run against Burnley indicate they are likely to find a way to succeed.

As a result, Parker’s disappointing managerial record in London is expected to persist, as his side is projected to endure a narrow defeat in South London.