Alan Pardew embarks on Palace survival mission as Spurs visit

Crystal Palace playing favourite Alan Pardew, who spent four years in their midfield, takes charge of his Eagles’ first Premier League match, after guiding them into the fourth round of the FA Cup with an emphatic 4-0 victory over Dover last time out.

The south London outfit are 5/2 with Coral to record a victory over north London rivals Spurs, who are on a decent league run, and will be on a high after a 5-3 victory over Chelsea. Harry Kane was simply outstanding, having bagged a brace and is 6/1 to equal or better that against Pardew’s Palace.

Deploying Wilfried Zaha, Dwight Gayle and Glenn Murray in a three-man attack against Dover worked wonders, and it could prove the platform for progression going forward, with the Selhurst Park side just one point from safety. The combined pace, strength and movement could cause most teams in the Premier League problems in the absence of tricky winger Yannick Bolasie and influential captain Mile Jedinak, who are both on international duty.

Gayle struck against Dover, and looked lively and threatening all game, so as a result is 6/1 to net first against Spurs; Zaha, meanwhile, is a terrific 2/1 in the anytime market.

Mauricio Pochettino will have a firm focus on securing European status this term, and is in fifth place, two points behind former club Southampton and one ahead of his employers’ fierce rivals Arsenal. However, the Argentine has conceded recently that his team do need to improve.

“We need to improve a lot,” Pochettino said. “We need to improve quickly. You never have a lot of time in football. We need to find a solution and change mentality in the next few weeks. That is my challenge.”

Nacer Chadli looks rejuvenated under his new boss this season, with the Belgian scoring against Chelsea. The 25-year-old is decent value at 11/4 to strike anytime, having also dispatched against Burnley last time out in the FA Cup. Christian Eriksen is pivotal to everything Tottenham do on the football pitch, though hasn’t scored in their last three matches. He will be keen to change that, and is well priced at 6/4 to strike anytime.