We’re not supposed to be nervous before a trip to Selhurst Park to play Crystal Palace. And yet, here we are.

Tottenham Hotspur have made the trip across London to play a Palace side that were once in the mix for relegation, but then dumped Alan Pardew and hired Sam Allardyce. Say what you want about Big Sam: keep him away from money, for sure, but there’s no doubt that the man can coach. He’s fantastic at wringing the most out of whatever club full of misfits and underachievers he has under his charge, stabilizing them, and keeping them up.

Unfortunately for Spurs, Big Sam’s Eagles have peaked at just the right time. They are on a string of impressive results in the past eight games, compiling a 5-1-2 record that includes wins over Chelsea, Arsenal, and Liverpool. Sitting twelfth in the table with 38 points, a win over Spurs would put them over the notional 40-point threshold that indicates safety from relegation. But really, Christian Benteke, Wilfried Zaha, Andros Townsend, and the rest of the Eagles just want to add another big name to their list of victims this spring.

For Spurs, a win means maintaining the pace four points behind league leaders Chelsea, but it also means eight straight league wins and continuing to distance themselves from their competitors for top four. A win today over Palace will also reduce the “magic number” (currently at 8) of points needed to clinch a final table position ahead of Arsenal, and that’s always fun.

Spurs may have lost against Chelsea in the FA Cup, but they looked darned good doing it, and a good performance over a surging Palace team will prove that, unlike last year, there’s no imminent “Spursy” collapse forthcoming.

COYS!

Lineups

How to Watch

Date/time: Wednesday, April 26, 8:00 pm (UK), 3:00 pm ET (USA)
Venue: Selhurst Park, London, UK
Official: Jonathan Moss
TV: NBC Sports Network (USA), Sky Sports 1/HD (UK), TSN2 (Canada), Optus Sport, SBS One (Australia), other listings at livesoccertv.com
Streaming: NBC Sports Live Extra (USA), fubo.tv (free 7 day trial)
Radio: Audio streamed at tottenhamhotspur.com, also often at BBC Radio London,BBC Radio 5 Live, and TalkSport

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