It hasn't been the best of seasons for Crystal Palace this year, although the arrival of Oliver Glasner in February has given fans a reason to be hopeful for the future.
The Austrian has had a challenging introduction to English football, but the six points he has picked up over the last seven games have all but secured the Eagles' place in the top flight for next season.
That said, the loss away to Bournemouth during the week was a tough result; as such, the 49-year-old should look to make some changes to the team, like dropping Jean-Philippe Mateta.
Jean-Philippe Mateta's performance vs Bournemouth
Now, there were poor performances all over the pitch from the South Londoners on Tuesday night, so Mateta was not alone in his disappointing display.
However, if a team fails to score, let alone muster more than three shots, the striker is usually the first port of call for personnel changes.
It wasn't just his lack of threat that was the issue, though; it was his all-round play, from misplaced passes, poorly timed runs, and constantly losing the ball.
In his 95 minutes of action, the Frenchman produced an expected goals figure of just 0.12, had a single shot on target, maintained a passing accuracy of 67%, lost seven of his 11 duels, lost possession 15 times, committed one foul, was offside three times and was dribbled past once.
Minutes
95'
Expected Goals
0.12
Expected Assists
0.03
Shots on Target
1
Accurate Passes
18/27 (67%)
Duels (Won)
11 (4)
Lost Possession
15
Fouls
1
Offside
3
Dribbled Past
1
Overall, it was a lacklustre performance from the man who has been in decent form of late, so he should probably start today's game on the bench.
Odsonne Édouard should start vs City
Yes, the man who should be given the chance to start today is Odsonne Édouard.
Now, that might not be the most popular choice considering Mateta's recent form, but when looking at the pair's overall Palace record, the former Celtic ace comes out on top.
In his 107 appearances for the Eagles, he has scored 20 goals and provided five assists, meaning he has averaged a goal involvement every 4.2 games. In contrast, his competition's 19 goals and six assists in 127 games give him an average of a goal involvement every five games.
Appearances
107
127
Goals
20
19
Assists
5
6
Goal Involvements per Match
0.23
0.19
Moreover, Édouard's best form this season came when he started games. In fact, all seven of his goals came from his 19 starts.
So, if Glasner wants to restore the 26-year-old to the "prolific" striker fans saw in Glasgow, as talent scout Jacek Kulig described him, he'll need to start him more often in the league and cup competitions.
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Ultimately, there is undeniably an element of risk in dropping Mateta onto the bench for such an important game, but if Palace want to get the best out of their two French forwards, they might have to start taking some risks.
