Newcastle United will face Crystal Palace later today and they must contain Wilfried Zaha if they want to claim three points.
Newcastle United are in London preparing for their match against Crystal Palace which is set to kick off at 3:00 P.M. The Magpies are desperate for a victory and their sole objective this afternoon is to return to Tyneside with three much-needed points.
When comparing the two sides on paper, Newcastle and Crystal Palace are probably the most evenly matched teams in the Premier League in terms of quality. However, Crystal Palace has something that Newcastle lacks – a true playmaker.
Wilfried Zaha is the most notable name on the team sheet for the Eagles and he is undoubtedly the most talented player to take the field in today’s match. If Newcastle can find ways to frustrate Zaha and mitigate his impact, they stand a great chance at winning on the road.
Focus on Zaha
It is not common for a single player to carry a team on his back, but Crystal Palace truly are dependent on Wilfried Zaha for positive results. A bad or quiet performance from Zaha usually translates to a poor result for Crystal Palace.
This was evident last season when Zaha missed multiple matches to start the season and it is no coincidence that the Eagles lost their first seven matches. This season, Crystal Palace are off to a better start with six points from five matches, however, three of their four goals came from Zaha.
Like Newcastle, Crystal Palace struggle on the offensive end when it comes to scoring goals. Newcastle need to find ways of isolating Zaha and obstructing any passes aimed in his direction. This would significantly weaken Crystal Palace’s attack and increases the likelihood of a clean sheet on the road.
Of course, Crystal Palace have some other players who can be dangerous on the ball, such as Andros Townsend and Luka Milivojevic, but Newcastle’s back-line must be extra cautious with Zaha. The expectation heading into this match is that Newcastle will play attacking football. If Newcastle’s offense can place sufficient pressure on Crystal Palace, then this could be a case where offense tremendously complements defense as it would keep Zaha off the ball.