Palace v Southampton - Team news preview

And so it’s come to this – as somehow we all knew it would.

Tomorrow’s home match against Southampton is do-or-die. Win tomorrow and we could find ourselves three points clear in the safety zone – should Norwich and West Brom fail to win.

Lose, and we’ll be stuck three points adrift of the Saints, with an inferior goal difference, going into the final game of the season. Trips to Hull and Luton next season will be beckoning.

Fitness-wise, Palace fans could ask for little more. The only injury concerns are those long-term knocks sustained by the likes of Emmerson Boyce and Tommy Black.

Iain Dowie will likely opt to stick with the 4-5-1 formation that has garnered four points from the last two games – with Andy Johnson leading the quest for goals against a notoriously brittle Southampton defence. Expect Gonzalo Sorondo to continue in the right-back spot.

Harry Redknapp is also without any fresh injury headaches after last week’s rollercoaster ride against Norwich. Peter Crouch seems to have recovered from his hamstring tweak – though Redknapp has recalled two strikers (Dexter Blackstock and Brett Ormerod) from loan in the last couple of weeks as cover.

Redknapp may shuffle his defensive pack after watching his team concede eleven goals in their last four games. Claus Lundekvam looks likely to replace Andreas Jakobsson.

Nothing less than Premiership survival is riding on tomorrow’s match. If you’re lucky enough to have a ticket, then…