Preston North End Vs Crystal Palace
Coca-Cola Championship Saturday 1st March 2008
After picking up 4 points from 6 in their last two matches, confidence will be high in the North End camp and especially after picking said points up against sides at the opposite end to the table. With Deepdale becoming the fortress that it once was, it is become a tough place to visit and become the venue of my upsets before the season is over. Neil Warnock will no doubt ably be aware of this and will be urging his players not to take make the same mistakes the likes of Watford, West Brom and most recently Stoke have.
A win against Crystal Palace will round off a fantastic week for Preston and could be a pivotal week in their bid to avoid the drop. Preston are yet to lose at home in the league this year and will fancy themselves against a Palace team who are without a win in their last 6.
Previous Meetings
When North End visited Selhurst Park earlier in the season, the game ended up a 2-1 win to the home side. Despite Preston taking the lead, they went in at half time 2-1 down after a goal from Clinton Morrison and a goal deep into first half stoppage time from Clint Hill. Last season was a similar story, with Preston's FA Cup in over Palace a mere consolation for the 3-0 defeat at Selhurst Park and a 0-0 draw at home.
Team News
With Alan Irvine's selection policy of put in a performance and you keep the shirt, there isn't expected to be many changes to the team that beat Stoke on Tuesday. Goal scorer Richard Chaplow may be a doubt after he went off injured during the second half with a hamstring injury.
There are no new injury worries for Neil Warnock but striker Shefki Kuqi isn't likely to feature after his public spat with his manager.