Crystal Palace vs Tottenham Hotspur — Match Preview
A fiery London derby takes center stage at Selhurst Park on Sunday, 28 December 2025. This fixture sees two sides desperate to arrest alarming dips in form. Crystal Palace sit 8th with 26 points but are winless in their last four games across all competitions, recently crashing out of the EFL Cup to Arsenal. Tottenham Hotspur, languishing in 14th place with 22 points, are in full-blown crisis mode under Thomas Frank. After a disastrous 1–2 home loss to Liverpool that saw them finish with nine men, Spurs arrive in South London depleted, demoralized, and dangerously close to the relegation conversation.
Crystal Palace vs Tottenham Hotspur — Match Info
- Competition: Premier League (Matchday 18)
- Venue: Selhurst Park, London (Capacity: 25,486)
- Date: Sunday, 28 December 2025
- Kickoff: 16:30 GMT | 17:30 CET | 11:30 ET
- Referee: Jarred Gillett (AUS)
Crystal Palace vs Tottenham Hotspur — Match Stakes
Crystal Palace (8th — 26 pts):
- Win → Moves to 29 pts; reignites European push and snaps the 4-game winless streak
- Draw → Keeps them in the top half but extends the slump
- Loss → Could drop to 9th or 10th; pressure mounts on Oliver Glasner after cup exit
Tottenham Hotspur (14th — 22 pts):
- Win → Moves to 25 pts; vital lifeline for Thomas Frank to calm the fans
- Draw → A gritty point given the suspensions, but does little for the league table
- Loss → Stays in the bottom half; potential to drop to 15th; crisis reaches boiling point
Crystal Palace vs Tottenham Hotspur — Team News
Crystal Palace:
- Richards C. — Questionable (Knock vs Arsenal)
- Doucoure C. — Available (Key Midfielder)
- Eze E. — Available (Talisman)
- Fatigue: The squad played a high-intensity cup match just 4 days ago; rotation in wing-backs is possible.
Tottenham Hotspur:
- Romero C. — Out (Suspended – Red Card vs Liverpool)
- Simons X. — Out (Suspended – Red Card vs Liverpool)
- Van de Ven M. — Questionable (Hamstring tightness)
- Defensive Crisis: With Romero suspended and Van de Ven doubtful, Spurs are extremely thin at the back.
Crystal Palace vs Tottenham Hotspur — Team Form (Last 5 Matches)
Crystal Palace
- 24/12 — 1–2 vs Arsenal (EFL Cup – AET)
- 21/12 — 1–4 vs Leeds United (Premier League)
- 19/12 — 2–2 vs KuPS (Conference League)
- 14/12 — 0–3 vs Manchester City (Premier League)
- 12/12 — 3–0 vs Shelbourne (Conference League)
Tottenham Hotspur
- 20/12 — 1–2 vs Liverpool (Premier League)
- 14/12 — 0–3 vs Nottingham Forest (Premier League)
- 10/12 — 3–0 vs Slavia Prague (Champions League)
- 06/12 — 2–0 vs Brentford (Premier League)
- 03/12 — 2–2 vs Newcastle (Premier League)
Crystal Palace vs Tottenham Hotspur — Head-to-Head (Last 5 Meetings)
- 11/05/2025 — Tottenham 0–2 Crystal Palace (PL)
- 27/10/2024 — Crystal Palace 1–0 Tottenham (PL)
- 02/03/2024 — Tottenham 3–1 Crystal Palace (PL)
- 28/10/2023 — Crystal Palace 1–2 Tottenham (PL)
- 06/05/2023 — Tottenham 1–0 Crystal Palace (PL)
Crystal Palace vs Tottenham Hotspur — Playing XI (Predicted Lineups)
Crystal Palace (3-4-2-1)
Henderson; Lacroix, Guehi, Chalobah; Munoz, Wharton, Kamada, Mitchell; Eze, Sarr; Mateta
Tottenham Hotspur (4-3-3)
Vicario; Porro, Dragusin, Davies, Udogie; Bissouma, Sarr, Maddison; Kulusevski, Solanke, Son
Crystal Palace vs Tottenham Hotspur — Impact Bench
Crystal Palace: Nketiah (Goal poacher), Hughes (Experience)
Tottenham Hotspur: Johnson (Pace vs tired legs), Gray (Midfield energy)
Crystal Palace vs Tottenham Hotspur — Tactical Analysis
Crystal Palace
Oliver Glasner will smell blood. Knowing Spurs are missing their defensive leader (Romero) and creative spark (Simons), Palace will press high. The key will be Eberechi Eze drifting into the pockets of space behind Spurs’ makeshift defense. Palace’s physicality on set-pieces could be decisive against a Spurs side that historically struggles in the air.
Tottenham Hotspur
Thomas Frank has to patch together a team. Without the ball-carrying ability of Xavi Simons, Spurs might struggle to transition. They will likely rely on Son Heung-min’s pace on the counter-attack. The plan will be to survive the first 20 minutes of Selhurst Park noise and try to catch Palace’s wing-backs high up the pitch.
Crystal Palace vs Tottenham Hotspur — Key Battles
- Mateta vs Dragusin — physical duel in the box
- Eze vs Bissouma — battle for space between the lines
- Munoz vs Udogie — clash of the attacking full-backs
- Guehi vs Solanke — Palace captain marshaling the defense
Crystal Palace vs Tottenham Hotspur — Spotlight Players
Crystal Palace — Jean-Philippe Mateta
The striker loves a derby. With Spurs’ defense decimated by suspensions, his physical presence and hold-up play will be the focal point of every Palace attack.
Tottenham Hotspur — James Maddison
With Xavi Simons suspended, the creative burden falls entirely on Maddison. He needs to control the tempo and find the killer pass for Son or Solanke, or Spurs will be toothless.
Crystal Palace vs Tottenham Hotspur — Prediction
Crystal Palace 2–1 Tottenham Hotspur
Selhurst Park is never an easy place to go, especially when you are in a crisis. Spurs are missing too many key players (Romero, Simons) and their confidence is shot after the Liverpool debacle. Palace have struggled recently too, but their home advantage and healthier squad should see them edge this derby.
Crystal Palace vs Tottenham Hotspur — Betting Insights
- Crystal Palace to Win — Value Bet
- Over 2.5 Goals — Likely (Spurs defense is leaky)
- Both Teams to Score — YES
Crystal Palace vs Tottenham Hotspur — Where to Watch
- UK: Sky Sports Premier League / Main Event
- USA: Peacock
- International: Optus Sport (Aus), Fubo (Canada)
Crystal Palace vs Tottenham Hotspur — FAQs
Q: When is the Palace vs Spurs match?
A: The match kicks off on Sunday, 28 December 2025, at 16:30 GMT.
Q: Why is the match not on Boxing Day?
A: The Premier League adjusted the festive schedule, moving most Matchday 18 games to Dec 27/28.
Q: Who is suspended for Tottenham?
A: Cristian Romero and Xavi Simons are both suspended after receiving red cards against Liverpool.
Q: Who is the favorite?
A: It is a tight call, but Crystal Palace are slight favorites due to home advantage and Spurs’ suspensions.
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