10:33 AM
Four changes for Spurs
Emerson Royal starts:
10:32 AM
Edouard starts on the bench for Palace
10:23 AM
Good morning
And welcome to coverage of the Premier League match from Selhurst Park between 14th-placed Palace and league leaders, Spurs. Patrick Vieira’s new team looked very impressive against West Ham at the London Stadium, particularly in the second half, and another astute signing, Odsonne Edouard from Celticm who scored 66 SPL goals in 116 appearances, should give them the spearhead they have so badly needed since Christian Benteke lost the prolific edge that had made his fortune at Aston Villa.
Spurs also made a deadline day signing – Emerson from Barcelona but so impressive has Japhet Tanganga been at right-back that he will have to wait awhile, if all is fair in this world, to make his debut, at least in his preferred position. Tottenham are without Giovanni Lo Celso, Cristian Romero and Davinson Sanchez after they defied the club’s wishes to join up with Argentina and Colombia respectively and Son Heung-min is out, or so Nuno said on Thursday, after hurting his calf on international duty. Steven Bergwijn, Oliver Skipp and Tanguy Ndombele are all doubts, too.
Palace have lost Jeff Schlupp to a thigh strain and Eberechi Eze and Natahn Fergsuon still have a long way back from their serious injuries.
Given his Arsenal background, small wonder that old rivalries with Tottenham were the focus of the pack’s questioning at his pre-match presser.
“No, no, no, no. I am not a player anymore so this kind of rivalry between Arsenal and Tottenham is in the past,” he said. “The fact I used to play for Arsenal against Tottenham, it is not important for me and will not be important tomorrow.
“It is an important game. We play at home and we want to do well, want to win and take the three points.”
Three consecutive 1-0 wins has put Tottenham at the top of the Premier League summit and Vieira praised the job of his opposite number, Nuno Espirito Sancho.
“He is doing fantastically well. When you start in a new club, you win the first three games and didn’t concede a goal, it is difficult to do better than that. It will be a really good challenge for us. We went to West Ham, a difficult place, and played with a lot of personality. Now the challenge will be the same.
“We are playing the team that are top at the moment, who are playing well. I am really looking forward to it and we are ready to give them a good game.”
Thank goodness for that …
Join us for the team news at 11.30am