Tottenham: Offensive keys to victory at Crystal Palace in Premier League

1 of 2

LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 29: Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Watford at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on August 29, 2021, in London, England. (Photo by James Williamson – AMA/Getty Images) /

Tottenham Hotspur is heading south to Selhurst Park Saturday afternoon as the Premier League returns, here are the offensive keys to a Spurs victory over Crystal Palace.

Both Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace have new coaches and while Patrick Vieira‘s start with Palace has not been as bad as most thought it would be, with two draws from three games, the Eagles are already seven points behind the first-place Spurs. As Tottenham tries to take that lead to 10 points and stay unbeaten, here are the keys to the game for the Lilywhites.

Spurs must handle the crowd

For Tottenham Hotspur, this trip to south London is the first of three straight London derbies in the Premier League with Chelsea and Arsenal to follow. However, for Crystal Palace, a London derby is just another game, as this will be their fourth straight match in London to start the campaign.

Palace struggled on opening day at Chelsea but bounced back to hold Brentford to a scoreless draw at home, and then came from a goal down twice to tie West Ham amidst the bubbles at Olympic Stadium. To now have Tottenham coming to town for their second home derby and fourth overall, Palace will be ready.

Tottenham should expect a raucous crowd looking to cheer their team on to a big victory with a trip to Merseyside next week. While the Eagles do not have everyone available yet – Eberechi Eze is still out – the team should have a few players back, like Luka Milivojevic, and some new signings available for action like Odsonne Edouard and Will Hughes.

Handling the atmosphere and playing with a level head will be critical in what should be a physical, exhausting contest. Here are our other keys for a Tottenham victory.