A few months ago if any football fan or pundit looked at Sunderland v Crystal Palace on the calendar, nobody would have believed that the game would have relegation implications for both sides.
Fast-forward to March 1st and that’s exactly the situation as a Sunderland victory over the Eagles would take Sam Allardyce’s side to within six points of their opponents.
Palace are in terrible form in the league and will not be looking forward to the trip to the Stadium of Light, but it does provide a chance to finally get a Premier League victory.
Here is the XI that we think Alan Pardew will select in this crucial game:
