3 key players for Crystal Palace against West Ham United

Crystal Palace play their second London derby of the season this weekend as they take on an out-of-sorts West Ham United side.

The Eagles have responded well after successive opening defeats and remain unbeaten in the league since August.

A run of three league victories and two draws has seen Alan Pardew’s men climb up the table into eighth position with 11 points.

West Ham, however, have been struggling in recent weeks and languish in the relegation zone after a solitary win after their first seven league games.

Here are SHOOT‘s three key Palace players for the tea time kick-off on Saturday…

Christian Benteke

Since the big Belgian signed for a club-record fee from Liverpool, Benteke has been a revelation and is yet to taste defeat in the league this season.

The centre forward has played a major part in Palace’s recent league success and his presence in the final third of the pitch is exactly what Palace fans have been craving for.

With three goals in his last four league appearances – including one of the best headed goals you’ll see all season against Everton – he is really starting to settle in and find his way in a Palace shirt.

The 25-year-old looks unstoppable at the moment and with West Ham shipping 12 goals in their last four league games, you can’t really help but think the 6ft 3in centre forward will surely find the back of the net for a third consecutive game.

His aerial threat and ability to hold play up effortlessly is just what Pardew needed.  After a shaky start to this season – which came as no surprise – the results have picked up massively and the club are finally looking like a force to be reckoned with.

The Eagles really do look like a complete team now. With a physical side like West Ham up next, Benteke will be relishing the chance to play to his strong physical game.

Joel Ward

The right-back has been instrumental over the last month and a half. After a patchy season last term, the 26-year-old has upped his game this season, not only defensively, but in an attacking sense too.

His ability to get up and down the right flank is key in providing support and passes for Wilfried Zaha, who can push on into the box or whip the crosses in for the talismanic Benteke.

His last league appearance in the 1-1 draw away at Everton, in my opinion, was the best performance I have seen from the defender in a very long time. His ability to man-mark ex-Eagle Yannick Bolasie and contain the DR Congo international was something I haven’t really seen from many players in the Premier League.

He stopped the winger from playing his fast skilful game which as a Palace fan, I am no stranger to. It really was a fantastic performance and we are starting to see the Ward that we saw in the 2014/15 season, where he was remarkable in Palace’s highest Premier League finish.

To top off his strong performance, he even grabbed an assist with his cross for Benteke and he nearly earned a second only for Damien Delaney’s header to be correctly ruled for offside.

His attacking game has improved and we are starting to see a lot more crosses and take-on’s from him. I think this is an area Pardew has spotted out to him and he is really taking the bull by the horns and doing a tremendous job on the pitch.

Joe Ledley

The Welshman’s performances this season have merited the way Palace have been playing in recent weeks. Although the midfielder’s woeful back-pass attempt gifted Sunderland the lead over two weeks ago, he shrugged his mistake aside and began the impressive comeback with Palace’s opening goal in their dramatic 3-2 win away at the Stadium of Light.

The central midfielder has been dominant in the middle of the park and the partnership he is building with James McArthur is providing great support for the defence. Possession stats in previous seasons haven’t been great.

The Eagles have been known for their counter-attacking style of play, but so far this season, we have seen Palace dominate possession in a number of games with Ledley at the heart of it.

His recent performances have seen Yohan Cabaye drop to the substitutes bench, the Frenchman is struggling to find his shape so far this season and a player with his ability to be sat on the bench just shows you exactly how well Ledley is playing at this moment in time.