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Crystal Palace vs Hull – Match Preview

Not only is this game a ‘6 pointer’ in the truest sense of the phrase but it is also sudden death for Hull as they know that failure to beat Crystal Palace this Lunchtime will consign them straight back down to the EFL Championship at the first time of asking.

The game could not be any more poised on a knife edge as after Swansea’s comfortable win over Sunderland yesterday it has nearly assured their safety but they are not out of the woods just yet. The pendulum has swung between both Hull and Swansea in the last few weeks and there is no reason why there cannot be another twist in the tale.

But that is not to rule Crystal Palace out of the battle to beat the drop, they have lost their form at just the wrong time and it comes as no coincidence that their form has deserted them at the same time at Mamadou Sahko has been out absent through injury.

The French international picked up an injury in the 1-0 defeat to Tottenham last month and since then it has been 3 straight defeats, including that very game where Christian Eriksen would pull a rabbit out of the hat late on to beat Wayne Hennessey and give his side a win which at the time kept the title race alive.

Since then Palace have also lost at the hands of Burnley and Manchester City. The former was a surprising 2-0 home defeat while last Saturday was a day to forget as Pep Guardiola’s men hit Palace for five as they steamrollered over Sam Allardyce’s side.

That game saw Jeffrey Schlupp play at Centre Back and it’s fair to say that it is a gamble that did not really pay off, with Palace light on defensive personnel I would imagine Damien Delaney having to once again come into the fold and fill the huge void that the absence of Sahko has created.

They know that a win would finally get them over the line in regards to confirming their Premier League status for another season and their opponents Hull will undoubtedly be ruing the huge opportunity that they squandered last week to advance their own chances of beating the drop.

They were at home to already relegated Sunderland and you would have put your money on that being a banker, especially what with Marco Silva’s impressive record when playing on home turf. But it was nothing short of a coupon buster as Sunderland ran out 2-0 winners at The KCom Stadium.

That would have been bad enough but couple that to the fact that Swansea then went on to beat Everton 1-0 at The Liberty Stadium and staying up is now no longer in their own hands. Quite simply they are going to have to win their last two games to secure their top flight status for next season.

That will mean wins against London opposition on both occasions with them going up against Tottenham on the last day of the season. They will hope that Tottenahm win later this afternoon and therefore have second place wrapped up and having nothing left to play for.

But they cannot afford to look that far ahead as they need to make sure that they deal with the task in hand and that is win or bust against Crystal Palace this lunchtime. If they do end up being relegated they will surely look at last weeks defeat to Sunderland as the pivotal moment in which it all fell apart.

Palace fans would have thought they were all but safe when they beat Liverpool last month, a result that took them up to 12th in the table. But it is amazing what a couple or in this case three defeats can do to the complexion of your season.

The tension at Selhurst Park will be palpable not just for Palace but for Hull also. I really would not like to call who wins it but the neutral in me would like Hull to win if not purely to create a three win shootout to survive the dreaded drop. Both sets of fans will no doubt be watching this one behind their sofas, enjoy it if you can.

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