Hi there ReadNorwich readers. My name is Anthony Gallo and I am a writer over at ReadCrystalPalace. I am here today to preview the match between our Eagles and your Canaries. The EPL season is upon us and I hope you are as excited as I am!
What To Expect from Crystal Palace:
The opening match of the season is always hard to predict. Anyone can win and it is difficult to study an opponent you haven’t played in a long time.
What you can expect from a busy Crystal Palace team is their strong strike force with new signing Bakary Sako, loanee Patrick Bamford and Dwight Gayle up front. Obviously, all three cannot play at once, so Palace manager Alan Pardew will have to do some juggling. The Eagles, like Norwich, have pace with speedy wingers Yannick Bolasie and Wilfried Zaha able to run by almost anyone. This match could be a battle of pace.
What makes Palace such a difficult team to play this year, may be the depth they have. However, they may be lacking on the defensive
side. Centre-backs Scot Dann and Damien Delaney played a key part in the team’s defense last year, but can a now 34 year-old
Delaney continue?
Key Player: Yohan Cabaye
Palace’s biggest signing this summer and in club history, Yohan Cabaye reunites with his former Newcastle manager Pardew. Cabaye is a great talent for this side and adds a lot to a midfield that sort of lacked last season. The Frenchman is very talented at set pieces and can help up front if need be.
Norwich have the pacey Nathan Redmond and Robbie Brady, but the game isn’t all about pace. Cabaye can start plays and even finish them if he wants to. Hopefully he can rekindle his EPL touch and start his Eagles career with a win.
Projected Lineup: 4-4-1-1
The season hasn’t started yet, and no one knows, not even Pardew, about how the side look against Norwich. I gave it a go below and I believe they will look something like this.
Even though Crystal Palace look like the stronger team on paper, so many big summer signings may mean they have not completely gelled yet.
They lost 1-0 to Dagenham and Redbridge on 3rd August, and tied Fulham 1-1 two days before that. Pre-season matches don’t give a full account on how the team will fare during the season, but the team is going through a big transition.
Prediction
I say this match will add to the excitement that is opening day in the EPL. Norwich may have nust been promoted, but that doesn’t mean they are going to be an easy opponent for Palace.
I predict this match will end in a 2-1 win for Palace, but the Canaries will not go down easy.
I do however believe the Canaries will stay up this season and may even pull off a mid-table finish. I wish you well in
this match and here’s to a great 2015-16 EPL campaign.
