Aston Villa take on Crystal Palace at Villa Park
Digne has called for calm heads ahead of key clash
Palace have lost Eze and replaced him with Yeremy Pino
Lucas Digne has called for calm ahead of Aston Villa’s upcoming Premier League fixture against Crystal Palace.
Unai Emery’s side have endured a slow start to the season, following up a goalless draw against Newcastle United with a 1-0 defeat to Brentford.
Heading into their match against Palace on Sunday, Villa are the only team yet to score in the top flight.
However, Digne, who signed a new contract earlier this month, insisted there is no need to panic as “the performances will come”.
“It’s just the beginning of the season, and we have to stay calm and positive,” Digne told the club's website.
“We have to work hard because the work always pays off, and I’m sure we have the team. The performances will come, and I’m not worried about that.
“At home, we know how we can play and how we can be strong. We have to show that.
“We have to stay calm and trust in our process and in our work because we are working really hard here.
“We have a really good team and it’s just a question of time.”
Oliver Glasner’s Palace have had a hectic start to the season.
From transfer sagas with Eberechi Eze and Marc Guehi, to winning the Community Shield, to qualifying for the league phase of the Conference League after losing their Europa League spot, the Eagles were thrown in the deep end.
Palace have won four of their last five matches against Villa in all competitions, including a 3-0 in the FA Cup semi-final, and Glasner believes their recent form could provide a mental advantage.
“We did very well [last season] and this gives us confidence,” said Glasner.
“If you have this proven a few times, and also at Villa Park, and not just at home – so there it was a 2-2 and a 2-1 last year – it shows, in every single game against them we scored goals. And this gives us confidence that we are able to do it.
“If you had lost five games and never scored a goal, and all of a sudden then you ask, ‘if we do the same, why should we score two or three this time?’
“But if you always have scored at least two, this gives you confidence – but that doesn't mean that this happens again. But preparation for me won't be that difficult because Unai will play his style and he's doing so well there, and I have a really big admiration of how he's playing with his teams.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Aston Villa – Ollie Watkins
Watkins is still Villa’s biggest attacking threat, registering 16 goals in the league last season, but he has struggled in recent matches.
The 29-year-old has now gone four Premier League appearances without a goal, while he has scored just one goal in 14 Premier League appearances in the month of August. However, this goal was against Palace back in August 2022.
Crystal Palace – Jean Philippe-Mateta
Although Jean Philippe-Mateta is yet to score in the league this season, he found the net in the Community Shield against Liverpool and the Conference League against Fredrikstad.
He also boasts a strong record against Villa, scoring five league goals in seven appearances against the Villans. Only Wilfried Zaha, against Leicester (seven), has ever netted more times for Palace in the Premier League against one opponent.
MATCH PREDICTION: ASTON VILLA WIN
Villa are unbeaten in their last eight Premier League home games against Palace (five wins, three draws), since a 1-0 loss on Boxing Day in 2013.
Emery’s side are also unbeaten in their last 19 home Premier League matches (11 wins, eight draws), the longest current unbeaten run on home soil of any side. The Villans last had a run of 20 or more unbeaten home league games in the top-flight between December 1922 and January 1924 (26).
However, Villa have now gone three consecutive Premier League matches without a goal for the first time since July 2020, last going four in a row in March/April 2016.
Along with the threat of Mateta, Villa will also need to watch out for Ismaila Sarr. The winger has either scored or assisted a goal in all six of his starts against Villa in all competitions, scoring seven goals and assisting three. His 10 goal involvements against the Villans are more than he has against any other opponent in English football.
Palace won 4-1 in their previous league meeting with Villa in February, though they last won consecutive league games against them in the 2013-14 campaign.
The Eagles have drawn their first two Premier League games this season (0-0 v Chelsea, 1-1 v Nottingham Forest) but have only drawn each of their opening three games of a league campaign twice before, doing so in the top-flight in both 1979-80 (three) and 1992-93 (first four).
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Aston Villa – 51.0%
Draw – 24.6%
Crystal Palace – 24.4%
