Following a run of three successive defeats and conceding 11 goals in the process – albeit two of those losses suffered against title rivals Manchester City and Arsenal – Aston Villa responded with a 2-0 victory away against Everton last weekend, with Ollie Watkins writing his name in the history books.
Indeed, the Englishman opened the scoring from the penalty spot just after the hour mark to become the first Villa player in Premier League history to score in five successive matches, before substitute Emiliano Buendia sealed the victory with a strike in the final 10 minutes.
Emery has seen his side score in all 11 Premier League games since his arrival at the end of October, winning six times during this run, and they have subsequently steered themselves away from a potential relegation scrap as they sit 10 points clear of the bottom three with a game in hand.
Aston Villa remain on course for their highest Premier League finish since securing ninth place in 2010-11, and they could end the weekend inside the top 10 with a victory over Crystal Palace, who have won only one of their last 10 top-flight trips to Villa Park.
However, securing three points on home soil has proven challenging for the Lions in recent weeks, as they have only won one of their last five Premier League games at Villa Park, while they have conceded a total of 19 league goals in front of their own fans so far this season, the joint-most along with basement club Southampton.
Crystal Palace are still seeking to claim their first victory of 2023 after failing to win any of their last nine matches across all competitions, with last weekend’s goalless stalemate at home against Liverpool their fifth draw during this run.
The Eagles failed to register a single shot on target throughout the 90 minutes at Selhurst Park, but Vieira will have taken positives from his side keeping a clean sheet, just their second in the last 12 top-flight matches.
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Vieira and co will be required to start looking over their shoulders if their winless run continues, although a victory on Saturday could see them climb nine points clear of the drop zone with a game in hand.
Palace have reason to be optimistic heading to the West Midlands as they have already beaten Aston Villa this season, securing a 3-1 win at Selhurst Park back in August courtesy of a Wilfried Zahabrace and a strike from Jean-Philippe Mateta.
The Eagles have scored a league-high 43% of their goals (nine out of 21) from set-pieces so far this season, and they will look to take advantage of Villa’s woes from defending dead-ball situations as they have conceded 15 set-piece goals; only Bournemouth (19) have conceding more in this season’s top flight.
