Crystal Palace (A): Pre-match thoughts, team news, possible line-ups & prediction

Newcastle have 10 points from the last 12 on offer in the Premier League and the push for European football next season is well and truly entering its home straight. And, having had the taste of European nights earlier this season, players and fans alike are chomping at the bit to get back there again.

Hammering Spurs (again) has proven our credentials, but a trip to a challenging Palace under a revitalised new manager presents a different sort of football match.

Palace are riding high after a thumping 5-2 win over the Toon's top six rivals West Ham, where star duo Eze and Olise ran riot. Couple this with the Eagles' deft 1-0 win over Liverpool and you now have two teams in good form both wanting to finish the season as strongly as possible - albeit for different reasons.

There has been a gap between the Spurs game and Wednesday's Palace clash, something Eddie Howe was keen to exploit. "We have tried to use the time productively; the lads are feeling good about themselves," Howe said.

"We don’t want to lose our rhythm. We have tried to keep everything the same, we have tried to make sure we are physically where we need to be when the game kicks off."

Team news

Injuries have become the word of the season on Tyneside and Howe remained realistic about the prospect of returns for the Palace game.

Lewis Miley and Joe Willock's seasons are both over with recovery the focus for the two midfielders. Almiron, Joelinton, Pope and Trippier have been ruled out again, but Howe hopes they will return before the close of the campaign.

In better news, Callum Wilson is expected to be back on the bench after "training well" this week, while Palace will be without Holding, Johnstone, Doucoure, Guehi, Lerma and Franca through injury.

Predicted XI: Dubravka; Krafth, Schar, Burn, Livramento; Bruno, Longstaff, Anderson; Gordon, Isak, Barnes.

This was a tough one to call. Wilson is touch-and-go to make the squad and Howe is giving nothing away, so I presume if he is involved, he will be on the bench.

I think Livramento is the best option to face off against Palace's tricky wingers who can and will cause us problems. I can see him starting down the left, with Krafth on the right after his strong display against Spurs. Harsh on Murphy, who did well at wing-back 10 days ago, but a front three of Gordon, Isak and Barnes surely has to start.

Prediction: Crystal Palace 1 - 2 Newcastle

Palace's good form is a threat to us. Mateta is scoring goals, Eze is a real handful and Olise offers bags of quality down their right. Their 3-4-3 system will also present and intriguing challenge. However, our recent unbeaten run stretches longer than Palace's and Howe's side have gotten into a groove of late. We've had a well deserved rest and will arrive full of confidence, so I'm backing the Toon to come away with a tight but precious win.

HOWAY THE LADS!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7BV9LGnEgU