Newcastle kick off in less than an hour in what is our most important game of the season so far, then again, the one after that and so on, will prove similarly so.
We do so against a Crystal Palace side who are in a relegation threatened position as well and the three points on offer, just as important to them as it is us.
Aside from the usual cliches, we sit just one position below and are separated by two points, a win here would crank the pressure up on them but a defeat see the gap widen to five points.
Current form sees both sides not in that bad of form with boths sides only suffering one defeat in the last five games with Palace accumulating eight points and us six out of the last fifteen available.
That sort of ratio will see both sides survive in the premier league most likely.
It’s going to be a close game based on the stats with both sides winning six games and both keeping five clean sheets. Both sides have scored the same amount of goals with twenty three but we’ve conceded three less with thirty five to have that better goal difference that may be important at the season’s end.
We line up with new loan signing Islam Slimani out with a thigh injury and no strikers on the bench but stranger things have happened in the goals for stakes and we line up like this:
TEAM NEWS: Here’s how Newcastle United will line up at @CPFC in the @premierleague today (kick-off 2:15pm GMT). #NUFC pic.twitter.com/iYBto376ko
? Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) February 4, 2018