Palace v Walsall

Selhurst Park, Saturday 3.00pm

Michael Hughes

Team news

Hughes completes the second of his two-match ban - Shaun Derry should keep his place in midfield as replacement.

Dowie just has CURTIS FLEMING and Darren Powell out as long-term injuries - both completed 45 minutes in the reserves this week.

Walsall player-manager Paul Merson has a fully-fit squad to choose from. Goalkeeper Jimmy Walker (groin) and Darren Wrack (Achilles) have both shaken off injuries.

Palace know if they win their final two games of the season, they are guaranteed a place in the play-offs.

Walsall - league stats

Position	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Points
22nd	44	12	12	20	48

Full league table

Walsall - current form

Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	For	Against
5	1	0	4	1	10

Full form table

Our home record v Walsall

Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	For	Against
30	22	2	6	74	29

Last five results

Date	Type	Home Team	Score	Away Team
22/11/2003	League	Walsall	0 - 0	Crystal Palace
22/03/2003	League	Crystal Palace	2 - 0	Walsall
29/10/2002	League	Walsall	3 - 4	Crystal Palace
23/03/2002	League	Crystal Palace	2 - 0	Walsall
03/11/2001	League	Walsall	2 - 2	Crystal Palace

All time results

One to watch

Paul Merson

Walsall's top scorer

Jorge Leitao - 9 goals

Walsall's bad boy

Paul Ritchie - 5 2

Palace old boys

Lee Bradbury - 29/10/98 - 13/10/99, Neil Emblen - 12/08/97 - 26/03/98, Simon Osbourne - 03/01/90 - 17/08/94, Jamie Vincent - 03/07/93 - 30/08/96,

This was quite hard to pick from because walsall are so poor at the moment that nobody is really shining for them so ive gone for potential and average performances this season.

Paul Merson, what can i say, umpteen years with Arsenal and was their solid, hugely valuable midfielder for all of that time.

Since his moves to Middlesbrough and then Villa his career has gone from being a premiership regular to First Division wonderboy.

He was hugely influential in Portsmouth's romping of the league last year and showed his potential immediately this season after his move to Walsall with a fantastic display in a 4-1 win over now promoted West Bromwich Albion.

Since those heady days however Walsall have gone into an infintely increasing decline in this league as has Paul Merson with his much publicised drink problems, but now Merson is on his way back he will surely play a big part in helping the Saddlers in their bid to escape the drop.

Merson's a fantastically skilful midfielder who can attack and defend whenever he is called on. He is a danger to any team he faces but only if the rest of the team play as well. This has not happened for the majority of the season for Walsall which is why it appears that Merson is anonymous but in truth, without Merson, Walsall would have been relegated weeks ago.

They will be fighting get out of the bottom 3 and will be all guns blazing so we will have to watch out for him and also their top scorer Jorge Leitao who is a very useful player to have up front when he has the service.

Last meeting

Walsall 0-0 Palace

Saturday November 22 2003

Walsall: Walker, Baird (sent off 82), Hay, Roper, Vincent, Corica, Osborn (Dinning, 78), Samways, Wrack, Birch (Leitao, 89), Merson (Aranalde, 85)

Subs not used: Allaway, Emblen

Booking: Baird

Palace: Myhre, Borrowdale, Symons (Edwards, 80), Popovic, Fleming, Butterfield, Hughes, Watson (Black, 68), Johnson, Freedman (Routledge, 87), Shipperley

Subs not used: Berthelin, Granville

Bookings: Butterfield, Freedman