Crystal Palace will be taking on Leicester in their upcoming Premier League match, which will also mark Roy Hodgson’s return to the club as manager. The veteran boss, who is now 75 years old and set to turn 76 in August, has taken over from Patrick Vieira on a short-term deal. Hodgson’s return to the Premier League comes six months after he was unable to prevent Watford’s relegation.
Crystal Palace is currently the only team in the English football league that has yet to win a game in 2023 and is just three points above the drop zone. Leicester, on the other hand, is one point ahead of 18th-placed West Ham following four defeats and one draw in their last five matches.
The Premier League clash between Crystal Palace and Leicester is scheduled for Saturday, April 1, with kick-off at Selhurst Park set for 3pm. TalkSPORT 2 will have exclusive live coverage from south London, with Shebahn Aherne serving as presenter and commentary from Joe Shennan and former West Ham defender Alvin Martin.
Palace academy graduate Joe Whitworth is likely to lose his place in goal with Vicente Guaita and Sam Johnstone back from injury. Arsenal loanee Albert Sambi Lokonga is available once again after he was unable to face his parent club before the international break. However, Chris Richards and Nathan Ferguson are out.
Leicester is still beset by injuries, with James Justin, Youri Tielemans and Ryan Bertrand all on the sidelines. Wout Faes is back from suspension following his one-match ban in the 1-1 draw with Brentford last time out. Victor Kristiansen and Harry Souttar are both hopeful of shaking off ankle knocks to start.
Former Palace owner Simon Jordan believes Hodgson’s return to the club is a ‘desperately smart’ move. Speaking on White and Jordan, he said: “It’s a Ronseal moment – with Roy Hodgson, you get what it says on the tin. During my time Roy was often at Palace. He comes from Croydon, he’s a Palace fan and he will add that extra ingredient into the dynamic these players need to get themselves out of this passive mode they’re in and to get them to battle past the games they have.”
Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha has scored more Premier League goals against Leicester than he has against any other opponent, with his seven goals against the Foxes coming in his last 10 appearances against them. No Leicester player has scored more Premier League goals this season than Harvey Barnes, with his nine goals being his joint-best return in a single top-flight campaign.
Crystal Palace is currently winless in their last 13 games in all competitions, since beating Bournemouth 2-0 on New Year’s Eve. It’s their longest run without a win since a run of 16 between December 1980 and April 1981 – the 14th game in that run was a 1-1 draw with Leicester, and the Eagles were relegated from the top-flight at the end of the campaign.
Leicester have won just one of their last six away league games against Crystal Palace, with their last two visits to Selhurst Park ending level. After winning four consecutive Premier League games against Leicester between 2017 and 2019, Crystal Palace is now winless in their last seven against the Foxes.
TalkSPORT will be covering the match live, along with other key Premier League games and the heavyweight showdown between Anthony Joshua and Jermaine Franklin. Fans can tune in via the talkSPORT website, app, DAB digital radio, smart speaker, or on 1089 or 1053 AM.
