please log in to view this image please log in to view this image CRYSTAL PALACE v WATFORD Venue: Selhurst Park Date: Saturday 13th February 2016 Kick Off: 15.00 GMT please log in to view this image Player Profile Adrian Mariappa: He progressed through Watford's youth academy, and started playing for the first team in the 2005–06 season. Although primarily a centre back, he spent some of his early professional career at right back due to competition for places in the middle. He made 247 first team appearances for Watford, including 19 in the Premier League. This included a run of 113 consecutive league appearances, the fourth longest streak in Watford's history. Mariappa captained Watford at under-18, reserve and first-team levels, and was the club's vice captain in his final few years at Vicarage Road. Mariappa accepted his first call up to Jamaica's international team in May 2012. He won his first cap against Guyana later that month, and transferred to Premier League side Reading in July 2012. He made 29 league appearances for the club before joining Premier League side Crystal Palace in September 2013, following Reading's relegation to the Championship. Unfortunately for him he has only played four times for Palace this season, three of those games were in the League Cup. Form Guide. Since the 10-game mark, when they were seventh in the table, Crystal Palace have had the form of a bottom-six side and - with scoring their main problem - they look vulnerable for the visit of Watford to Selhurst Park on Saturday. Palace have failed to score in seven of their 15 games in that period (joint-worst with Stoke in the division) and on Saturday they come up against one of the toughest defences, with Watford ranking joint-sixth lowest for average goals against (1.08 per game). A couple of key stats point to a good chance of Watford taking something from the match. They have a W7 D4 L2 record against bottom-half teams - a category Palace now fall into - and a W6 D2 L2 record against the lowest eight scorers they have faced (of which Palace are also one). Watford's away form is also impressive. Three of their five defeats on the road were against title chasers Leicester, Tottenham and Manchester City, and apart from that their away record is W4 D3 L2. That indicates they will be hard to beat for a Palace side that has not scored more than one goal in a Premier League match since December 19 for a record of W0 D3 L5 in that period. The signing of Emmanuel Adebayor has yet to bear fruit, although there have been odd glimpses of promise from the 31-year-old striker, and Palace's only three goals since December 19 have come from defender Scott Dann (twice) and an own goal from Tottenham's Jan Vertonghen. Watford, by contrast, have 20-goal pairing Odion Ighalo and Troy Deeney in attack and stopping them is crucial to Palace's hopes. When one or both of them have scored, Watford's record is W9 D3 L3, with the only defeats coming against Leicester, Tottenham and Manchester United. please log in to view this image Alan Pardew can see the true Crystal Palace slowly returning to the Premier League fight after the 1-1 draw at Swansea City on Saturday. The point, by virtue of Scott Dann’s fifth league goal of the season, arrested a run of five consecutive league defeats that had seen the Eagles drop to 12th in the table. He added: “We are still lacking a little going forward, but Dwight Gayle and Connor Wickham are coming back, and with this point armouring our confidence we can kick on. “We looked like we had some of our old self back and we are going to need it because Watford will be a tricky game.” please log in to view this image Quique Sanchez Flores says he's not reading too much into Crystal Palace's recent poor form, and the Hornets' Head Coach admits the Eagles made an impression on him after their 1-0 win at The Vic back in September. "We respect Crystal Palace a lot. I was very impressed when they played against us at Vicarage Road," said the Spaniard. "Okay, they are now in a bad run, like us, but they have a very good coach, they have very good players, and we respect them a lot. "We need to try to look for our best performance, and I think that very quickly we are going to come back with a good run." Team News: Pardew still has a lengthy injury list full of key players to contend with, but he could have Dwight Gayle back at his disposal should the striker pass a late fitness test. Whether he would displace January signing Emmanuel Adebayor in the side remains to be seen, however, after the former Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester City striker made his first Premier League start since November 2014 last weekend. Bakary Sako (hamstring), Yannick Bolasie (hip) and Joe Ledley (quadriceps) are all a week or so away from returning, while Jason Puncheon is also expected to be unavailable this weekend due to a hamstring problem. Watford are expected to welcome Deeney back into the starting lineup, which could see Almen Abdi drop out and Mario Suarez handed a second start for the club. Miguel Britos suffered a dead leg against Spurs but should be fit to start again this weekend, while Tommie Hoban and Joel Ekstrand remain long-term absentees. Robert Madley M McDonough M Perry and K Hill are the officials for this game. WHEREVER YOU ARE IN THE WORLD ENJOY THE GAME
Thanks for the thread OFH. I can see a single goal winning this. But I won´t see it as got a wedding to go to Friday night and it will be a long one....... Be good to get a win here, ever closer to the 40 points mark! COYH!!
Palace without Bolasie and Puncheon, both of whom I saw play early in their careers (Plymouth, I think, and Barnet) and who looked tricky players. Whenever I've seen us at Palace we've never won. I won't be going this time so perhaps an away win's on the cards!
Nice one OFH, much appreciated. Going to be a strange day for us W_Y's, Little Miss W_Y will be working there as usual for a home game, but just before kick off she will use her pass to get into the Watford end and stand with me (saved £47 as well) and then go back to work after! She has been at the Watford training ground today interviewing ex Palace hero Ben Watson for Palace TV. I am so tempted to predict Zaha going down for a penalty and Adebawhore taking it....but I am going for a 2-0 Watford win. Thanks again OFH.
On a rather full train to East Croydon a lot of standees alighted at Shepherds Bush.... Police got on at WJ. Plenty of Hornets on the train already wheoni boarded at Tring. COYH!!!!
This one has worked very well for me. I can usually watch and listen to Jon Marks at the same time. http://www.stream2watch.co/sports/soccer/crystal-palace-vs-watford-fc-live-stream-february-13
please log in to view this image Nice to see that some grounds still have a stanchion to help keep your neck exercised.
Rookery Mike Note to self: Do NOT get wound up by Zaha's phobia of staying upright. It's going to happen, so just deal with it. Calmly.
