Crystal Palace return to Premier League action on Saturday aiming to claim back-to-back top-flight victories for the first time this calendar year when they welcome Ipswich Town to Selhurst Park.
Pierre Sage secured his first league win as Palace head coach last weekend, with the Eagles edging past Fulham 3-2. They also progressed in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday by beating Middlesbrough, although both opponents enjoyed significantly more possession. Sage praised the quality of both teams after those matches, despite Palace coming out on top.
Palace's defensive record remains a concern. They have conceded at least twice in each of their past nine league games, an unwanted club record, but their defenders made a decisive contribution at Craven Cottage. Tyrick Mitchell scored twice for the first double of his career, before substitute Ben Chilwell struck the winning goal in the second half.
Mitchell has also been given greater freedom to advance since Daniel Munoz followed former Palace head coach Oliver Glasner to Nottingham Forest. The England international has recorded 10 touches in the opposition penalty area this season, a joint-high figure among Premier League defenders.
Ipswich arrive after defeats by Manchester United and Liverpool, having opened their Premier League campaign with victory over Sunderland. Gary O'Neil's newly promoted side showed encouraging spells in both losses but have been hurt by defensive errors. Town have gone 22 top-flight matches without a clean sheet and have conceded 57 goals during that sequence.
That could offer Palace another opportunity to exploit uncertainty at the back, although the Eagles will need to improve their own defensive resilience if they are to turn last weekend's victory into a sustained run of form.
