Crystal Palace’s Damien Delaney (#27) sits dejected after scoring an own goal against Arsenal. (Photo : Reuters)
Crystal Palace FC (1-1-0, 3 points) plays host to Aston Villa FC (1-1-0, 3 points) in a 2015-2016 Premier League match at the Selhurst Park in South Norwood, London on Saturday.
The Eagles suffered a sorry 1-2 defeat in the hands of one of the league favorites, Arsenal FC, on Sunday as Palace center back Damien Delaney erred an own goal in the 55th minute of the match to allow the Gunners to escape with the three points, as reported by The Guardian.
The game was tied at 1-1 since the 28th-minute winner of defender Joel Ward, but Alan Pardew's boys could not hold on to it against the struggling team of Arsene Wenger.
Aston Villa lost its most recent game as well after winning their opener. The Lions dropped a 0-1 affair to powerhouse team Manchester United but made it difficult for the Old Trafford giants the entire match, via Bleacher Report.
Red Devils midfielder Adnan Januzaj scored the lone goal of the match as the Villans could not retaliate behind the strong defensive of Louis van Gaal's middle and back fields led by former Bayern Munich star Bastian Schweinsteiger.
Still, it is perhaps a somewhat sweet loss for Tim Sherwood as they were expected to get blown out of their own home field, which did not happen at all.
The predicted result is a 1-0 win for the Eagles over the Lions. Villa won their last visit at Selhurst with the same score so Pardew and his men are looking for a payback. After the two teams tackled powerhouse squads in their previous matches and both almost pulled off upsets, it is now time for them to grind it out for their second win of the tourney.
Crystal Palace starting lineup (4-5-1 formation): McCarthy; Delaney, Ward, Dann, Souaré; McArthur, Puncheon, Bolasie, Cabaye, Zaha; Wickham
Aston Villa starting lineup (4-3-3 formation): Guzan; Clark, Bacuna, Amavi, Richards; Westwood, Gueye, Veretout; Ayew, Sinclair, Agbonlahor
