AUTHOR: Star Sports Content

STAR PREVIEW: Crystal Palace v Southampton

[dropcap]R[/dropcap]oy Hodgson’s tenure at Crystal Palace gets underway on Saturday lunchtime when the Eagles welcome Southampton to Selhurst Park.

The pressure will be immediate for Hodgson given the abject start that Palace have made to the new season, losing all four games without scoring a single goal. On the plus side for him it surely can’t really get any worse than that?

There’s unlikely to be much of a honeymoon for Hodgson. It’s likely to be measured in minutes not weeks.

Hodgson said: “All styles of play depend on the players who play the game. It is difficult to impose a style that they are not comfortable with.

“I have seen quite a lot of Palace over the last five years. I have got a clear idea of what works for them and the style needed to win football matches.

“I believe the team will stay up, absolutely. I wouldn’t have taken the job if I didn’t believe I and my coaching staff were the right people. This could be a very good year.”

He is starting with a home match in which Palace supporters will be anxious to take something from. Southampton have made the better start but are also goal shy. They beat West Ham, lost to Watford and played out 0-0 draws against both Swansea and Huddersfield.

It’s seemingly one of those matches that an ‘X’ would go next to on the football pools coupon.

Crystal Palace v Southampton
Premier League
12:30 Sky Sports Premier / Sky Sports Main Event / Sky Sports Ultra HD

HEAD TO HEAD RECORD
(Maximum 10 matches)
Apr 2017 PREMIER Southampton 3-1 C Palace
Dec 2016 PREMIER C Palace 3-0 Southampton
Sep 2016 EFL CUP Southampton 2-0 C Palace
May 2016 PREMIER Southampton 4-1 C Palace
Jan 2016 FA CUP Southampton 1-2 C Palace
Dec 2015 PREMIER C Palace 1-0 Southampton
Mar 2015 PREMIER Southampton 1-0 C Palace
Jan 2015 FA CUP Southampton 2-3 C Palace
Dec 2014 PREMIER C Palace 1-3 Southampton
Mar 2014 PREMIER C Palace 0-1 Southampton

The game will hinge on how much of a reaction there will be from the Palace players to the new manager.

I refuse to believe things can change that quickly and with neither team doing enough at the moment to convince me they can win any game I’m going right down the middle with the DRAW – at around 21/10 with Star Sports.


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