STATS: Norwich vs Crystal Palace
Norwich vs Crystal Palace 15:00
A spirited second half display from Norwich was not enough to prevent them from falling to 2-1 defeat away to Newcastle last weekend, with a solitary Leroy Fer goal late in the second half providing scant consolation for the Canaries’ travelling fans.
Nathan Redmond continues to turn in a series of incredibly impressive performances this season, a run of form that will no doubt bring him to the attention of a host of clubs in the summer. The young forward leads the Canaries squad for attacking contributions (crosses, assists, dribbles, shots on goal) with 47 according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.
Midfielder Leroy Fer will have no doubt been pleased to get on the scoresheet last weekend, even if it proved only to be a consolation header for his side. However, it has been in winning the ball back for his team that Fer has shone the most this season, attempting more tackles than any other Norwich player with 54, and winning 72.2% of them.
Jonny Howson remains the conduit for much of Norwich’s work in the middle of the park this season. He currently has a squad-leading 283 successfully completed passes in the opponent’s half to his name.
Tony Pulis will take charge of a Crystal Palace side with renewed momentum this Saturday after a late Barry Bannan strike saw Palace to a 0-1 victory away to Hull last time out.
Palace captain Mile Jedinak’s reading of the game continues to be superb this season, complementing a physical style of play in the Eagles’ engine room. Jedinak currently leads the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index for interceptions with 50.
No player contributed more to their team’s defensive efforts in the last round than Palace’s Danny Gabbidon. He recorded a superb total of 22 defensive contributions (blocks, interceptions, clearances, tackles won) against Hull.
Dwight Gayle has been one of Palace’s most effective attackers this season, racking up a squad-high 13 attempts on goal. Unfortunately only 30.7% of these have been on-target, he will no doubt be hoping to make more of his opportunities moving forward for the rest of campaign.