CRYSTAL PALACE

MANAGER: ROY HODGSON

THE way things started for Palace 12 months ago, I did not think for a moment they would be a Premier League team in August 2018. No goals and no points from seven matches should have finished them but fair play — they beat the drop comfortably in the end. Palace are established and have a manager in Roy Hodgson who has seen it all but there is no getting away from the fact they are unpredictable. Every year they lose games you think they will win then win games you don’t give them a chance in. A lot hinges on how Wilfried Zaha is going to perform. He is still relatively young and will make the odd mistake but he’s a special talent when everything clicks. It’s crucial they hang on to him — he gives Palace so much that it’s no surprise the big boys are watching. It would have been nice if they could have had another season of Ruben Loftus-Cheek — I thought he was special when he played against us at the Bet365 Stadium in May — but they will pick up the points they need.

HOW WILL THEY FARE?

They’ll get plenty of points at Selhurst Park — it’s always a difficult place to play!

MAJOR INS

Cheikhou Kouyate (West Ham, £9.5m) Max Meyer (Schalke, free) Vicente Guaita (Getafe, free, left)

MAJOR OUTS

Damien Delaney (Cork City, free) Yohan Cabaye (Al-Nasr, free) Lee Chung-yong (released) Bakary Sako (released)