West Ham United have now made an enquiry over the signing of Union Saint-Gilloise striker Promise David, amid doubts over Niclas Fullkrug’s future at the London Stadium.

West Ham have been much-improved from an attacking point of view since the beginning of November, scoring eight goals in their last three Premier League games, with Callum Wilson finding the back of the net three times in his last two outings.

Most recently, a first-half brace from the former Newcastle United man put the Hammers in a very strong position to pick up three points at AFC Bournemouth, but the Cherries fought back and Nuno’s side squandered a two-goal lead, which will undoubtedly be frustrating for the manager.

That said, Wilson’s recent form in front of goal is definitely encouraging, especially considering Niclas Fullkrug’s future with the Irons is now in major doubt, as revealed by Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg earlier this month.

West Ham lodge enquiry to sign Promise David

With Wilson’s current deal to expire in the summer, and the Englishman potentially in the latter stages of his career at 33-years-old, West Ham have now made contact over a deal for a new striker, namely Union Saint-Gilloise star David.

That is according to a report from Claret & Hugh, which states enquiries have been made about a deal for the centre-forward, with chief analyst Max Hahn particularly keen on bringing in players from the Belgian Pro League.

The 24-year-old remains under contract at the Belgian club until 2030, which puts them in a strong negotiating position, but there are signs it could be worth the Hammers paying whatever they ask for.

The eight-time Canada international is off to a flying start to the campaign, having already scored eight goals in all competitions, including one on his Champions League debut in the 3-1 victory against PSV Eindhoven back in September.

The Ontario-born centre-forward also caught scout Jacek Kulig’s eye as a result of his form during the 2024-25 campaign, being lauded as “outstanding” in March, before going on to finish the season on 24 goals in all competitions.

With Fullkrug looking to move on, it would make sense to bring in a new striker this January, especially given that there are still likely to be concerns over Wilson’s injury record, having spent long periods on the treatment table during the previous two seasons.

It would be a gamble to sign David, with the Canadian yet to prove himself in a major European league, but his goalscoring record in Belgium is certainly encouraging.

West Ham send scouts to watch the "best" striker in the Championship

West Ham now send scouts to watch the "best" striker in the Championship

The Hammers are hoping to be impressed.

By
Tom Cunningham

Nov 22, 2025

Sri Lanka were unable to chase down a target of 242

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Sep-2025Bangladesh edged out Sri Lanka by the narrowest of margins – one run – in the Women’s World Cup warm-up match in Colombo on Saturday.Sri Lanka stumbled early in a chase of 243, slipping from 56 for 1 to 86 for 4, but Kavisha Dilhari and Nilakshika Silva steadied the innings, both scoring half-centuries. Dilhari’s 63 came to an unfortunate end when her bat slipped off her hand and hit the stumps after a shot over midwicket. Nilakshika continued the fight, making 75 off 78 before falling in the penultimate over.At 218 for 5 with 46 overs gone, Sri Lanka seemed in control, needing 25 from 24 balls. However, a collapse followed, left-arm spinner Nahida Akter triggering the slide, dismissing Piumi Wathsala and Anushka Sanjeewani in the 47th over before removing Nilakshika in the 49th. In the final over, Marufa Akter defended nine runs as Sri Lanka lost three wickets, including a run out, and fell short.Earlier, Sri Lanka made an early breakthrough with Udeshika Prabodhani dismissing Fargana Haque in the second over. Rubya Haider and Sharmin Akhter rebuilt with a 90-run stand, but Dilhari struck twice to remove both. Dewmi Vihanga, Malki Madara, and Dilhari all took two wickets as Sri Lanka restricted Bangladesh to 242 for 8, with Sharmin’s 71 being the highlight.

Manchester City issued a sobering reality check to Arne Slot’s Liverpool before the November international break. The Reds were thrashed at the Etihad, and the good work of previous matches unravelled.

Did it? Liverpool might have lost five of their past six outings in the Premier League, but there have been signs of improvement over the past several weeks, and now there is optimism that the club can kick on and rediscover the fluency that has been stripped away since the summer.

So many issues. One of which is that last season’s Premier League champions are struggling in the final third. Here is one of the biggest concerns that Slot needs to get rid of quickly.

Why Liverpools forwards are struggling

Mohamed Salah has not been himself this season. There are many different reasons why this might be. He has turned 33, but the all-powerful Egyptian should still be performing at a higher level than he has languished this term, too often drifting through matches, missing big chances and lacking the requisite defensive work rate.

There has been a lot of upheaval. The sale of Luis Diaz to Bayern Munich having had a more detrimental effect than had been anticipated, but such a loss of electric pace and dynamic attacking play was always going to be hard to compensate for, even with the likes of Florian Wirtz added to the fold.

Wirtz has flattered to deceive, but he is a world-class player and will surely come good. Likewise, Alexander Isak has not clicked into gear after his British-record £125m transfer from Newcastle United on deadline day. The Sweden striker, 26, hasn’t had a pre-season, and injuries have limited him to a bit-part role thus far.

Liverpool’s wider creative problems and the overarching lack of coherence have made it all rather difficult, but Slot has a shrewd tactical mind and will surely unearth a solution sooner rather than later.

As a collective, Liverpool’s frontline need to do better. However, Slot must look to open up different attacking dimensions too, with one of his Red midfielders having emerged as the most accurate finisher in the Premier League this season.

Liverpool's best finisher

Liverpool have got many talented goalscorers in their ranks, but the fact that, statistically, Ryan Gravenberch is the cream of the crop in that regard underscores the need to unleash him in attacking phases with greater regularity.

Signed from Bayern Munich by Jurgen Klopp for £34m in 2023, Gravenberch put the final strokes on a much-anticipated midfield rebuild which has defined the Anfield side’s illustrious success of the past few terms.

However, after languishing on the fringes for his first year, Slot’s advent came to redefine the Netherlands international’s time on Merseyside, dropped deeper into a number six role last season and becoming indispensable en route to the Premier League title. Gravenberch was named the PFA Young Player of the Year.

Matches (starts)

37 (37)

9 (9)

Goals

0

3

Assists

4

1

Touches*

66.5

74.0

Shots (on target)*

1.3 (0.6)

Pass completion

89%

88%

Key passes*

0.7

0.8

Dribbles*

1.0

0.9

Ball recoveries*

5.2

3.6

Tackles + interceptions*

3.5

2.5

Total duels (won)*

5.0 (57%)

4.9 (61%)

However, the 23-year-old didn’t score across any competition last year, and since the summer he has been modified in his deployment, not less regimented in his deep-lying berth, and given the license to strike on goal if and when the opportunity arises.

But Gravenberch has not been shaped into a free-flowing attacking midfielder, with xG (expected goals) metrics showing that the Dutchman is statistically “the best finisher in the league this season”, having struck three strikes past the keeper from just 0.36 xG.

To put that in perspective, Salah has accumulated 3.62 xG this season, and he has four goals to his name. Gravenberch achieved a 1.12 total in last year’s top-flight season, and that yielded not one successful return.

While Liverpool appear to lack physicality and fluency in midfield this season, they have a robust and highly talented crop of players, and as Slot looks to rewrite his side’s tactical coding and escape from the current rut, this is a sign that those in the engine room must be allowed greater offensive freedom at times, thus unburdening the forwards when they are not firing on all cylinders.

Liverpool need to prove that they are worthy champions and ready to return to their former level under Slot’s wing. Too many are looking from outside and criticising Slot’s papier mâché empire, but this is a falsehood, and with an all-embracing midfielder like Gravenberch at the heart of the team, it’s only a matter of time before things click again.

Bad for Wirtz: Liverpool plan serious bid to sign future big-money superstar

Liverpool are looking for ways to add creativity to Arne Slot’s team.

ByAngus Sinclair Nov 18, 2025

Jamie Smith got to the 1000-run mark in Tests in just his 21st innings, the joint-quickest – with Quinton de Kock – to the mark by a wicketkeeper

Sampath Bandarupalli11-Jul-2025

Joe Root scored his 37th Test hundred after resuming day two on 99•Clive Mason/AFP/Getty Images

13 – Five-wicket hauls for Jasprit Bumrah in away Tests, the most by any India bowler, surpassing Kapil Dev’s 12.4 – Bumrah’s five-wicket hauls in England, two more than any other India bowler. With 47 Test wickets in England, Bumrah is only behind Ishant Sharma (51) for India.Related

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11 – Test centuries for Joe Root against India, the joint-highest alongside Steven Smith. Root is also the first to score 3000 Test runs against India.8 – Hundreds for Root in Tests at Lord’s, a record. Only three batters have more centuries at a ground in Test cricket.211 – The number of catches Root has taken in Tests, the most by a non-wicketkeeper, surpassing Rahul Dravid’s tally of 210.ESPNcricinfo Ltd3.44 – England’s scoring rate in their first innings at Lord’s – their second-lowest in a 300-plus total in Tests since Brendon McCullum became their head coach in June 2022. England have scored 30 of their 33 300-plus totals at more than four an over in this period.4 – Number of batters Bumrah bowled in England’s first innings. He equalled his own record – set against West Indies in 2019 – of most bowled dismissals in a Test innings. Mohammed Shami also bowled four South Africa batters in an innings in Visakhapatnam in 2019.11 – Number of times Root has been dismissed by Bumrah in Tests. Only Pat Cummins has removed him as many times in Tests.21 – Innings taken by Jamie Smith to complete 1000 Test runs – the joint-quickest to the milestone as a wicketkeeper, alongside Quinton de Kock.18 – Number of instances a batter has been 99 not out overnight in a Test, including Joe Root at Lord’s. He, like all the others before him, went on to reach the hundred the next day.

MatériaMais Notícias

Luciano teve forte discussão com Fernando Diniz, durante a vitória do São Paulo sobre o Fluminense nesta segunda-feira (13). De acordo com o meia-atacante, a amizade entre a dupla ficou estremecida.

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➡️As melhores e mais variadas ofertas para o Brasileirão estão no Lance! Betting! Abra já a sua conta!

Luciano e Diniz trabalharam juntos justamente em Fluminense e São Paulo, entre 2019 e 2021. Sobre a discussão ocorrida no Morumbis, o atleta afirmou que tudo começou porque o técnico proferiu xingamentos a ele na beira do gramado.

– Diniz veio ali e, na hora que o Manoel saiu, ele me xingou. Do nada. Pedi para ele não me xingar, ele continuou xingando. Falou para mim que a amizade acabou, então para mim acabou. Porque eu jamais xingaria ele. Ele tem que ver que não é meu treinador mais, mas da equipe adversária – disse, em entrevista à “Globo” após a partida.

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➡️ Siga o Lance! São Paulo no WhatsApp e acompanhe todas as notícias do Tricolor

Autor do gol da vitória do São Paulo sobre o Fluminense, Arboleda também concedeu entrevista e buscou apaziguar a situação entre Luciano e Diniz, que teriam relação de “pai e filho”. O atleta encarou com bom humor e falou mais sobre o caso.

– Quando eu entro no campo não me importo quem é o adversário, vou brigar pelos meus companheiros e esse escudo. O que acontece no campo fica no campo. Vou para casa, conversar com minha esposa, ela vai brigar comigo – concluiu.

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O QUE ACONTECEU?

O zagueiro Manoel sentiu uma lesão na reta final do primeiro tempo e jogou a bola para lateral. Luciano tentou cobrar rápido, sem demonstrar atitude de “fair play”. Diniz se revoltou, discutiu e recebeu cartão vermelho. O jogador foi advertido com amarelo.

Tudo sobre

Fernando DinizFluminenseLucianoSão Paulo

أشاد ويسلي شنايدر، صانع ألعاب منتخب هولندا السابق، بنجم نادي ريال مدريد، موضحًا أن الدولي الفرنسي قادر على الفوز بالكرة الذهبية العام المقبل.

ويقدم كيليان مبابي مستويات رائعة رفقة ريال مدريد هذا الموسم، وأصبح الدولي الفرنسي أهم لاعبي الميرنجي بدون منازع.

وسجل مبابي 23 هدفًأ مع ريال مدريد خلال 19 مشاركة في كافة المسابقات هذا الموسم، ويعول عليه المدرب تشابي ألونسو.

ويستعد مبابي رفقة بقية لاعبي ريال مدريد لمباراة مرتقبة أمام أتلتيك بلباو مساء اليوم الأربعاء، ضمن منافسات الجولة الـ15 من بطولة الدوري الإسباني للدرجة الأولى على ملعب سان ماميس.

اقرأ أيضًا.. فاران يعترف: عانيت من الوحدة في ريال مدريد وشعرت أن حلمي يتلاشى

وقال شنايدر في مقابلة مع صحيفة “ماركا”: ”أؤكد أنه مع نظام النقاط الحالي، شبه متأكد من فوز مبابي بالجائزة الموسم المقبل بنسبة 100%، علاوة على ذلك أصبح مهاجمًا حقيقيًا، فهو أكثر فعالية مما كان عليه عندما كان يلعب على الجناح وريال مدريد لا يحتاج لاعبًا مثل هالاند”.

وعن فرص فينيسيوس جونيور، زميل مبابي في ريال مدريد في الفوز بالكرة الذهبية العام المقبل، أضاف: ”قد يفوز بها العام المقبل، كلاهما يمتلكان الإمكانات وربما كان بإمكان فينيسيوس الفوز بها قبل عامين، لقد استحقها عن جدارة آنذاك لكن هذا ليس عيبًا”.

واختتم نجم إنتر ميلان وريال مدريد السابق عن عدم فوزه بالكرة الذهبية عام 2010: ”شخصيًا لا أعرف رأي الآخرين، سعدت برفع كأس دوري أبطال أوروبا أكثر من الفوز بالكرة الذهبية ذلك الموسم”.

Pitcher Aroldis Chapman locked down the save for the Red Sox in their playoff opener Tuesday—but only after a treacherous ninth inning that had Boston fans on pins and needles.

The Red Sox summoned Chapman in the eighth inning in relief of starter Garrett Crochet, who'd flummoxed the Yankees with 11 strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings to start this American League wild-card series. After inducing third baseman Jose Caballero to fly out, Chapman returned for the ninth up 3–1.

The first batter, first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, singled. The second, right fielder Aaron Judge, did the same. When left fielder Cody Bellinger added a third, New York was able to load the bases.

After that, it was all Chapman. First, the eight-time All-Star fooled designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton on a nasty 92 mph splitter—one of the best pitches of the day in baseball.

Then, second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. flied to shallow right before Chapman punched out center fielder Trent Grisham on a 101 mph four-seamer to end the game.

The two teams will meet again Wednesday, with Boston hoping for a smoother landing.

A number of Premier League sides face the daunting prospect of having to squeeze an enormous amount of games into the next four months, placing huge pressure on their squads and pushing players' bodies to the limit in the pursuit of silverware on multiple fronts. The staggering number of matches has now been revealed which will cause worry for Champions League clubs and fans alike.

Match pile-up towards business end of season

Fixture congestion is a significant challenge for top English clubs, and this season is no exception. The issue is amplified by their involvement in multiple competitions – the Premier League, Champions League/European competitions, FA Cup, and League Cup, potentially leading to player burnout and increased injury risks. The Premier League has even warned fans that games may be rescheduled at short notice for clubs progressing in European knockouts. 

AdvertisementGetty Images SportChampions League hopes prioritised by elite

Chelsea, Newcastle United, Man City, and Arsenal are all aiming for a crucial top-eight finish in the new Champions League league phase format. Securing this position means automatic qualification for the last 16 and, more importantly, avoiding potentially gruelling fixture congestion that could see them play an unbelievable 32 games between this weekend and the March international break, according to . 

Managing their schedules is a primary concern, as all four teams are also involved in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals. If they advance in the domestic cup but miss out on the top eight in Europe, they could face a relentless schedule with just one available midweek break before the end of March due to the Champions League playoff round.

Recent European results have seen some movement in their prospects; Chelsea boosted their chances of automatic qualification with a victory over Barcelona, while the fates of Newcastle and City remain in the balance after both teams suffered defeats. As the table stands, Chelsea and City each have 10 points from five games, with Newcastle a point further back. Arsenal are in a strong position, having taken a maximum 15 points from their five matches.

Guardiola: 'We want it'

Many managers have had their say on how they want the pile-up to be managed, but not all agree on what the next steps should be. City boss Guardiola said recently: "We are used to it – we've won quadruples and trebles playing that way. We want it. The trebles and quadruples came (from) playing on Saturday and Tuesday, then Tuesday and Friday and Friday and Sunday. It’s not a problem." 

But Arsenal boss Arteta wants better protection for players and fans, saying: "Every decision that we make in terms of a fixture has to be guided on two main things: players' welfare and then supporters. That's it. And the rest has to come very, very far away from that. And we should never forget that principle. That's the only thing I would say."

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Getty Images SportChanges coming next season

The Premier League have announced they will delay the start of the 2026-27 season until August 22 to prioritise player welfare amid a congested global football calendar. The decision provides 89 clear days from the end of the previous season and 33 days after the 2026 World Cup final for player recovery and preparation. 

A league statement said: "With an increasingly congested global football calendar, player welfare remains a priority for the Premier League. As a result, the Premier League will start one week later next season. This will allow for 89 clear days from the end of the current season, and 33 days from the FIFA World Cup 26 Final. The season will conclude one week prior to the UEFA Champions League Final, which will be played on Saturday 5 June 2027.

"The 2026/27 Season will consist of 33 weekends and five midweek match rounds. "The Premier League schedule will be designed to avoid domestic competition clashes with UEFA club competition dates, wherever possible. 

"Over the Christmas and New Year period, no two match rounds will take place within 60 hours. This is in keeping with commitments made to clubs to address the congested Christmas and New Year schedule within the expanded international calendar."

He put on a dominant performance in his first innings of the season while Kurtis Patterson also made an excellent century

AAP29-Oct-2025

Steven Smith issued an ominous warning to England ahead of the Ashes, slamming 118 for New South Wales in his first game of cricket in more than two months.Fresh off a six-week stint in New York where he didn’t pick up a bat, Smith looked in imperious touch as he helped NSW to 349 for 5 in the Sheffield Shield against Queensland.Related

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After the opening day’s play at the Gabba was washed out through rain, Kurtis Patterson also hit 122 while youngster Will Salzmann impressed with 65 while opening.The only sour point for NSW was Sam Konstas being bowled middle stump for 10, leaving a ball from left-armer Hayden Kerr that angled straight into his wickets.Konstas is now essentially no chance of retaining his spot as Australia’s opener, and could benefit from a summer out of the spotlight in the Shield.But there is no question mark over Smith’s form heading into the first Test in Perth on November 21, where he will captain Australia in place of the injured Pat Cummins.Smith played out 21 dot balls to start his innings on Wednesday, but from the moment he on-drove Sam Skelly to the boundary to get off the mark, the right-hander looked on.A flurry of drives and pull shots followed, with the 36-year-old treating the Gabba as his playground and looking every bit at his best three weeks out from the first Test.Sam Konstas was bowled by Hayden Kerr•Getty Images

Some 86 of his runs came in boundaries, including a big six down the ground of Mitchell Swepson when he charged the legspinner and took him on.Three boundaries came in three balls at one stage off quick James Bazley, with the first two crunches through the covers and the last a classic straight drive.Once renowned for being a cricket nuffy who perhaps trained too much, Smith insisted last week he now needed only two hits in the nets to prepare for a summer.And by the time he drove Tom Straker to bring up his century off 158 balls on Wednesday, the proof of that was clear and England had been put on notice.Smith was eventually well caught by Matt Renshaw at gully, but by then he looked well placed to set himself up for a big Ashes summer.Arguably Australia’s best-performing batter in Ashes history aside from Don Bradman, Smith has hit 12 career centuries against England and averages 56.01.His runs on Wednesday came as England’s ODI side collapsed on Wednesday across the Tasman, all out for 175 in a five-wicket defeat to New Zealand.Smith’s century also overshadowed the superb innings of Patterson. The former Test batter found form following a lean start to the Shield season, after his late-career revival last summer was one of the best stories of Australian cricket.Patterson cover-drove superbly and hit 14 boundaries in total, before being caught behind trying to drive Marnus Labuschagne late in the day.For NSW to win this match they will likely need to score big and only bat once, while Queensland’s hopes are effectively gone through Smith and Patterson’s 202-run third-wicket stand.

Leeds United boss Daniel Farke has accused Gianluigi Donnarumma of "faking" an injury to allow Pep Guardiola to deliver a Manchester City team talk when the game was hanging in the balance. The Italian asked for treatment in the second half when Leeds had made it 2-1 and were in the ascendancy. The visitors got it back to 2-2 before Phil Foden's stoppage-time winner secured all three points on Saturday at the Etihad.

• Man City survive Leeds scare

  City were 2-0 up and cruising at half time thanks to goals from Foden and Josko Gvardiol but the second half was a very different story. Goals from Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha, after his penalty was saved, gave the lowly visitors a great chance of an upset. But Foden's second in the 91st minute eased the home team's nerves as they went second in the Premier League. 

  After the match, City boss Pep Guardiola told BBC Sport: "After Daniel [Farke] changed shape, long balls to Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha running behind, it was always a struggle. That emotion is part of the football. We had the chances and at the end finally we found our goal."

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Leeds boss wants rule change

  While Farke was deflated after the loss, one moment from the game stuck in his craw. Just before the hour mark, City goalkeeper Donnarumma motioned to the medical staff to tend to him. During this break in play, Guardiola called the other 10 City players to him to deliver new instructions after Leeds changed their shape. While the Whites went on to equalise, City secured the win, but Farke was not happy with the Italian stopper's actions. The German, who stopped short of criticising Guardiola, said a rule change needs to be sworn in to stop things like this happening.

  "Everyone knows why he went down, right? It’s not like the elephant in the room. You can ask me what I think about it, why he went down, I think it was obvious," he said. "It’s within the rules. It’s smart. If I like it, if it’s in the sense of fair play, if it should be like this, I keep it to myself and leave it to the authorities to find solutions to it. It’s within the rules. I asked the fourth official if he wanted to do something, he said, 'No, our hands are tied, we can’t do anything'. If we don’t educate our players in football what to do in terms of fair play, sportsmanship, if you try to bend the rules to your advantage, and you can fake an injury in order to do an additional team talk, I think it’s not something I personally like, but if it’s within the rules I can’t complain about it. 

  "My recommendation is if this happens, then every 50-50 to the away team rather than the home team. After 90 minutes at 2-2, I would have blown the whistle rather than all the time added on. There are tools you can use to make sure this doesn’t happen. There’s a reason why the goalkeeper goes down and not an outfield player; an outfield player would have to go off. I think for the authorities to find a solution, in the sense of fair play, I have my doubts. I don’t criticise my colleague. It’s not that he (Guardiola) went down. If he has time to do that and if there’s an injury, I would do it. We have such a great relationship, and Pep is by far the best manager in the world. To tweak something in a game, there is nobody better. There’s not one per cent criticism of Pep. The fact that this happens, everyone knows it."

• Leeds show much-needed fight

  While this was Leeds' fourth defeat in a row, heaping more pressure on manager Farke, the way the Yorkshire side came back into the game will encourage many connected to the club. But, ultimately, they came away pointless from Manchester.

  He told BBC Sport: "We came here not for compliments or warm words, we came here for points. We had the worst possible start to this game. Normally, if you want points here, you have to win the set-pieces. I have to give many compliments to my lads. We deserved to equalise. Both teams could have won it. Heartbreaking for my lads. We’re disappointed because we deserved something but my boys should be proud of how they reacted to the worst possible start. They should take lots of confidence out of this."

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Crunch games for Leeds

  Leeds, who remain 18th in the Premier League, have just begun a particularly tough run of games in the English top-flight. After the City match, they host third-placed Chelsea on Wednesday, before entertaining out-of-form Liverpool next weekend. A trip to high-flying Brentford and then a home match against a confident Crystal Palace round off a difficult run of fixtures before Christmas.