As the start of the 2020/21 Premier League season draws ever-closer, Crystal Palace’s full fixture list has been released – and there are some eye-catching fixtures to keep an eye on.
Following a run of abysmal form at the tail-end of the 19/20 season, including 7 defeats and a final-day draw against Tottenham, Palace fans will view the opening fixtures as a litmus test as to whether the Eagles have recovered their confidence.
With this summer’s transfer window representing an opportunity to rejuvenate and overhaul the squad, there is every chance that a new-look Crystal Palace will be primed and ready to start the new season with renewed vitality, and a hunger to right the wrongs of the past.
With that in mind, here are five key fixtures throughout the season that could prove to be as pivotal as they are exciting for Palace fans to watch.
A Saintly Opening Day
The Eagles will be looking to start afresh against Southampton at Selhurst Park on September 12th. Unfortunately for Palace fans – and far more excitingly for the south coast Saints – Southampton have proven Selhurst Park to be a hunting ground in recent years.
The true excitement is less in the match-up between the two sides, but more in how Roy Hodgson will set up his side. Will there be distinct tactical adjustments? How would new signings fit into his plans? Would they be immediately integrated into a starting XI, or slowly eased in?
This Saintly fixture will go a long way in offering clearer insights into what Palace fans can expect of the season ahead.
Derby Day Galore
It will not be long before Palace fans will be able to savour another enticing derby fixture against arch-rivals Brighton & Hove Albion on October 17th.
Palace will welcome the Seagulls to SE25 and will be hoping to inflict some damage. Following Jordan Ayew’s solitary goal in the away fixture in the previous season, Crystal Palace will be desperate to avoid humiliation by relinquishing the bragging rights between both clubs. Fans of the Eagles will be looking to this game with eagerness, hoping for smug satisfaction as opposed to bitter disappointment after the game.
The derby is only the fifth game of the season – meaning Palace fans will not be left waiting long. Given Palace’s next game will come after Halloween*, fans will not be wanting to be left prematurely spooked.
Festive Fun or Withering Winter?
For football fans, December is synonymous with a bountiful stream of action-packed fixtures. This remains true for the Premier League in 2020/21, and one such fixture that should excite Palace fans over the festive period is a Boxing Day trip to Villa Park.
The midlands outfit managed to clinch Premier League survival in 2019/20 with a 17th-place finish, helped in part by a deserved 2-0 victory over the Eagles. This time out, Palace will surely sense an opportunity to amend the mistakes of the past and fight tooth and claw for all three points.
By this point, it should become clear as to how the season will be shaping up for all 20 Premier League clubs. If Palace look to be struggling ahead of the winter transfer window, this fixture could prove especially vital for the Eagles.
Palace will then face Leicester City at home on the 28th, with Sheffield United making the trip to SE25 for their first clash of 2021 on January 2nd. There is every chance this period could be a festive turning point for the club.
Excelling at Elland Road?
Leeds United, once a stalwart and ever-present club of the English top division, have finally returned after 16 years to the Premier League. Football fans across the country will see the return of Leeds as a true wildcard to the league, and something of a nostalgic throwback to the football of days gone by.
It should come as no surprise that the away trip to Elland Road against Bielsa’s Leeds could prove to be a feisty, engaging affair for Palace fans. Until further notice, matches will be played behind closed doors – though if this changes by the February 6th kick-off date, it could prove to be a memorable away day to one of English football’s most iconic stadiums in Elland Road.
Mayday Madness
If Palace enter May with the spectre of relegation looming large, it will need to be fiercely kept at bay if there is hope of survival.
Regardless of whether a May relegation scrap is the case, then the May 12th hosting of Aston Villa could prove to be an oasis of opportunity in an otherwise barren run of fixtures. At the end of the season, Palace close out their campaign with a tough run, taking on Arsenal at home and then reigning champions Liverpool away in their final two fixtures.
Manchester City will be hosted on May 1st in the start of one of the few notable spells of difficult fixtures across the season for Crystal Palace. As such, Palace fans should brace themselves for some messy May madness.
If there is one certainty that should offer hope to Eagles fans, it is that Crystal Palace know how to succeed in causing an upset. Results such as a 2-2 draw against Manchester City or a 2-1 victory over Manchester United in the 2019/20 season should offer cause for optimism – ‘never say never’ is something of a South London maxim.
