Hughes, Will
Awoniyi, Taiwo
Crystal Palace welcome Nottingham Forest to Selhurst Park on Sunday as the Premier League season draws to a close.
Steve Cooper’s men secured their top-flight survival with a 1-0 victory over Arsenal last weekend, courtesy of Taiwo Awoniyi’s 10th goal of the season. The Nigerian striker has played a pivotal role in Forest’s run to safety, scoring five goals across the past three games.
When the Tricky Trees endured an 11-match winless run between February and April – suffering eight defeats in the process – they looked destined for an immediate return to the Championship, having gained promotion via the play-offs last year.
Since then, however, Forest have taken 10 points from a possible 15 to steer clear of relegation danger, claiming impressive home victories over Brighton & Hove Albion and Southampton before ending Arsenal’s title hopes last time out.
That said, Cooper’s side have lost seven of their last eight away games in the Premier League, with a solitary victory coming in their 18 league outings on the road this season, so they will struggle to claim all three points at Selhurst Park.
Like Forest, Crystal Palace were on course for relegation when they posted a 12-match winless run between January and March, but the sacking of Patrick Vieira opened the door for Roy Hodgson’s return, and the veteran manager wasted no time in securing the club’s safety.
Hodgson oversaw three consecutive wins at the start of April, including a 5-1 thrashing of Leeds United. The 75-year-old also inspired victories over West Ham United and Bournemouth, meaning he has won five of his nine games since returning to the club.
Not only do the Eagles find themselves seven points above Forest, but they also sit 13 points clear of the drop zone. Given that Palace were in the thick of the relegation battle when Vieira departed, Hodgson must be given huge credit for his achievements.
Back in November, Crystal Palace suffered a 1-0 defeat at the City Ground, with Wilfried Zaha missing a first-half penalty before Morgan Gibbs-White's second-half winner.
When you look at the bigger picture, the Eagles have managed to win just one of their previous 10 meetings with Nottingham Forest across all competitions, with eight of those encounters serving up at least two goals.
The hosts will be without Wilfried Zaha for the final match of the season as he continues to nurse a thigh problem, while Nathan Ferguson, Jeffrey Schlupp, James Tomkins and Luka Milivojevic are also sidelined through injury.
Forest’s extensive injury list contains Dean Henderson, Chris Wood, Neco Williams, Giulian Biancone, Omar Richards, Scott McKenna, Gustavo Scarpa, Jack Colback, Jonjo Shelvey and Jesse Lingard, while Keylor Navas and Danilo are doubts for Sunday’s clash.
Expert Insight: Buoyed by last weekend’s season-defining victory over Arsenal, Nottingham Forest can breathe easy on the final day. Given that Steve Cooper’s men have the worst away record in the division, Crystal Palace will be hopeful of signing off with a positive result in front of their supporters.
Premier League