Even without Zaha, Palace can repel Middlesbrough

EFL Cup fourth round
From 7.45pm Wednesday

Crystal Palace showed their Premier League class with victories at Swansea (1-0) and West Brom (3-0) in earlier rounds of the EFL Cup and should be backed to topple Middlesbrough at the Riverside.

Roy Hodgson is expected to make a few changes to the side who drew 2-2 at home to Arsenal and may save Wilfried Zaha for Sunday's trip to Chelsea.

Palace have lost the last 13 league games they have played without their Ivory Coast talisman.

But they have looked assured without Zaha in EFL Cup matches and should be too strong for Boro, whose manager Tony Pulis is planning wholesale changes.

Pulis's only concern is to lead Middlesbrough to promotion.

He made ten changes for the EFL first-round tie at home to Notts County, ten for the second-round clash at home to Rochdale and 11 for the third-round match at Preston.

And any doubts about his approach to the Palace game were answered when he said, "The Palace game, I'll make lots of changes, I've got to do that."

Arsenal boss Unai Emery is also planning to rest key players for his team's clash at home Blackpool.

A largely second-string Gunners side won 3-1 at home to Brentford in the previous round and the Londoners are no bigger than 1-9 to slay the Seasiders, who are 12th in Sky Bet League One.

West Ham have been well-backed to beat Tottenham, who are having to play two days after their 1-0 loss at home to Manchester City on Monday.

Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen may come back into the starting line up for Spurs, but the Hammers have been slashed from 3-1 to 15-8 to get the victory.

West Ham will be without Mark Noble, who starts a three-game ban, but Manuel Pellegrini has promised to take the game seriously and could include Pedro Obiang, who missed out at the weekend with a knock.

Recommendation
Crystal Palace
1pt 6-5 general

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