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Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace, Premier League preview: Prediction, kick-off time, TV, live stream, h2h, team news

Matt Davies
·3-min read

Aston Villa welcome Crystal Palace to Villa Park on Sunday in a game they simply must win as the race to avoid relegation from the Premier League nears its conclusion.

The Villains are yet to secure a win since the top-flight restart, with a 3-0 hammering by Manchester United on Thursday their fourth loss in six games.

Dean Smith will be thankful that Villa's bottom-five rivals have largely failed to capitalise on such a poor run of form, though a win for Watford last time out has left Villa in 19th place and four points from safety with only four matches to go.

Next they come up against a struggling Palace side playing merely for pride after losing four games in succession, with neither relegation or a top-half finish on the cards.

Aston Villa face a crucial fixture against Crystal Palace as they look to avoid the drop
Aston Villa face a crucial fixture against Crystal Palace as they look to avoid the drop

Date, time and venue

Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace is scheduled for a 2:15pm BST kick-off on Sunday, July 12, 2020.

The match will be behind closed doors at Villa Park with no fans due to be present due to government guidelines regarding coronavirus.

How to watch

TV channel: Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace will be shown live on Sky Sports' Premier League and Main Event channels and is available via Now TV with a day pass for £9.99, or a three-month pass on offer for £25.

Live stream: Sky Sports subscribers can stream the match online via SkyGo and the SkyGo app, with a mobile month pass available for £5.99.

Team news

Dean Smith has no fresh injuries to deal with ahead of Palace's visit, with Bjorn Engels, Tom Heaton and Wesley all remaining sidelined.

Both Jack Grealish and Tyrone Mings are available after shaking off knocks suffered against Manchester United, while Matt Targett is in contention after recovering from a thigh injury.

Gary Cahill is the major absentee for Palace, with the defender injuring his hamstring after just eight minutes against former club Chelsea last time out.

Both Jeffrey Schlupp and James Tomkins are also out with injuries, with Roy Hodgson expected to name a similar line-up as in their midweek defeat against the Blues.

Prediction: Aston Villa 1-2 Crystal Palace

Both teams come into the fixture in dire form, with a combined seven straight losses between them, but it's Villa who certainly have the most to play for.

Smith's men know they need to win this one and desire is not a factor in question. Their defence, on the other hand, is.

Villa have conceded a whopping 65 goals this season, more than anyone else in the Premier League. Albeit against Manchester United, their defensive fragilities were once again exposed on Thursday.

What bodes well for Villa is that Palace have scored just 30 goals this season - only Championship-bound Norwich have netted fewer.

Their away form is pretty good, however. They've amassed more points than Tottenham on the road this season with 20, level with Arsenal.

And while this is a game Villa simply must win, Palace showed enough in a 3-2 loss against Chelsea to suggest they could net a couple of goals on Sunday.

Head to head (h2h) history and results

Of the 44 meetings between the two clubs, Aston Villa have won 18 to Crystal Palace's 14, along with 12 draws.

It was Palace who came out on top when the pair met at Selhurst Park earlier in the season, with Jordan Ayew getting the only goal in a 1-0 home win.

Betting odds and tips

  • Aston Villa to win: 11/8

  • Crystal Palace to win: 12/5

  • Draw: 12/5

  • Jack Grealish to score first: 8/1

  • Jordan Ayew to score: 2/1

Odds courtesy of Betfair Exchange. Click here to find out more.

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