- Crystal Palace face West Ham tonight
- Paul Merson gives his prediction
- The Eagles’ Premier League survival basically confirmed
Paul Merson has cast his prediction ahead of Crystal Palace’s Premier League tie against West Ham on Monday night (20th April). Tottenham Hotspur’s draw on Saturday eased the pressure on the Irons, who will still be keen to extend their gap from the bottom three.
A win for Palace would see them step to within three points of European football, with a game in hand over every side above them. Palace have been given an injury boost as Maxence Lacroix has been cleared to play, after he went down off the ball in the second leg of the Conference League quarter-final.
Palace have the opportunity to make it back-to-back wins in the league, and fans will be hoping that the momentum seen towards the back end of last season can replicate itself this time around, resulting in unprecedented success.
Merson’s Prediction
Paul Merson’s prediction was heavily focused on how the other Premier League games played out from the weekend. In fact, he suggested that Spurs’ game and result would play a key role in the Iron’s approach to the game.
In Roberto De Zerbi’s first game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Brighton were able to score twice in additional time, one at the end of each half, to draw 2-2, which hugely eased the immediate pressure on West Ham to win at Selhurst Park on Monday.
Merson wrote for Sportskeeda:
“If Tottenham lose”, Merson began, “this does not become the hardest game in the world for West Ham.”
“If Spurs lose [or get a negative result], West Ham will play without pressure and in that case, I would back them to beat Palace….I’m going with an away win here.”
Merson called the game as a 2-1 win for West Ham, which would be just the Iron’s third win in the last ten meetings between the two sides.
Palace Playing Without Pressure
Whilst Merson may suggest that the Irons will be travelling to South London with no pressure, following Spurs’ 2-2 draw, this does not account for the fact that Palace are quite literally under zero pressure at this point.
With safety secured by all measurable accounts, except for final confirmation, Palace are in a position where the freedom to express themselves is at an all-time high. Manager Oliver Glasner has insisted that Palace are keen to continue their strong form and push for a successful end to the season.
West Ham however, are certainly under the cosh. Nuno Espirito Santos’ side are only one point above Spurs and the relegation zone. However, more concerning is that Nottingham Forest and Leeds both won this weekend.
The Irons are now four points behind Forest, and the separation is so significant that it looks likely to be either Spurs or Monday’s opponents that drop to the Championship.
West Ham have also won just one of their last four games, so they aren’t in the best of form.
Whichever way you look at the current predicament of both sides, there are a few certainties. Palace won’t be a pushover, and West Ham are, in fact, under pressure.
