Tottenham vs Crystal Palace Preview: Team News and Score Prediction
Tottenham have stopped the slide, for now. Two straight Premier League wins have changed the mood, lifted them to 14th, and given Roberto De Zerbi a bit of oxygen. First came a 3-1 home win over Coventry City, then a more impressive 2-0 result away at Chelsea. Nothing has been fixed yet, but the table looks less ugly and the fixture list now offers a chance to build momentum.
Crystal Palace arrive in north London in a very different place. They are hovering just above the relegation scrap after a 2-0 home defeat to Newcastle United, and Pierre Sage is feeling the heat. Midweek brought a 1-0 Carabao Cup win over Fulham, which matters, but league form is what counts. Right now, Palace are short on goals, short on consistency, and short on margin for error.
Tottenham team news ahead of Crystal Palace clash
The biggest concern for Spurs is James Maddison. He was already a doubt before the Chelsea match and then went off early in the second half with a groin issue. At this stage, he looks a serious doubt for Saturday. If he misses out, Conor Gallagher is expected to start against his former club and could take on the attacking midfield brief.
Rodrigo Bentancur remains unavailable as he serves the last game of his three-match suspension following the red card in the 1-1 draw with Manchester United. There could be some depth restored elsewhere. Destiny Udogie, Lucas Bergvall and Tosin Adarabioyo are all in contention to return to the matchday squad.
There is less good news around Mykhailo Mudryk and Savio, who remain sidelined, while Xavi Simons and Wilson Odobert are still absent longer term. Spurs are not fully stocked, but compared to where they were a few weeks ago, the picture is improving.
Crystal Palace team news and selection issues
Palace got a boost in midweek with Dean Henderson back in goal after missing nine games with a foot injury. He kept a clean sheet against Fulham, which is about as straightforward a positive as Sage could ask for. Ben Chilwell and Cheick Doucoure also started, with Doucoure making his first competitive appearance for the club since January 2025.
Eddie Nketiah led the line and scored the winner in the cup tie. Jean-Philippe Mateta was left out of the squad, though that was down to workload management after his own recent return from injury. He is expected to come straight back into the starting line-up here.
Jorgen Strand Larsen and Quinten Timber have returned to training and should be involved in some capacity. Takehiro Tomiyasu and Ismaila Sarr are not expected back until after the November international break, while Chadi Riad remains out with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
Tottenham vs Crystal Palace prediction
This is where form, context and basic logic point in the same direction. Palace have won on their last two visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but past meetings do not carry much weight when the current version of one side is scoring confidence points and the other is struggling to produce anything reliable away from home.
Tottenham are chasing a third consecutive Premier League win for the first time since February 2025. More importantly, they are starting to look coherent. The Chelsea win was not a fluke, and the Coventry result did what it needed to do. Spurs look quicker in their play, more direct when required, and less fragile than they did during that six-game winless run at the start of the season.
Palace, meanwhile, have won just one of their last five Premier League matches. They have also failed to score in three of their four league away games this season. That is a bad combination when you are visiting a side whose confidence is finally moving in the right direction.
The straightforward call is a home win. The stronger angle is Tottenham to win without conceding. Palace have not shown enough cutting edge on the road to make a convincing case for anything else. A Spurs win by at least two goals also looks very plausible if they score first and force Palace to open up.
Kick-off is at 5.30pm GMT on Saturday, October 31, at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The equation is simple. Spurs have a chance to turn recovery into momentum. Palace need a league response quickly. On current evidence, the safer bet is with the home side, and probably by a couple of goals.
Score prediction: Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 Crystal Palace.
