Jean-Philippe Mateta can fire improving Crystal Palace to long FA Cup run Oliver Glasner may not be in the running to be named Premier League manager of the year but after a slow start to the season he has turned Crystal Palace into a lean, mean fighting machine.
• Despite losing his opening match in Belfast to former world champion Rob Cross, Stephen Bunting looks a great each-way bet to win the Premier League Darts at 14/1 with William Hill, bet365, Sky Bet, BetVictor, Paddy Power and Betfair.
• Blockbuster trades which sent elite point guard Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers, where he will team up with LeBron James, and impressive small forward Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat to the Golden State Warriors, where he will form a formidable attack with Steph Curry and Draymond Green, rocked the NBA before their own transfer deadline day last week.
Glasner operates a back three which reverts to a back five against classier opposition and it is a system which he has employed to far greater effect, and with cheaper options at his disposal, than Ruben Amorim at Manchester United, a fact which was apparent in the Eagles’ 2-0 win at Old Trafford earlier this month.
The South London side began the campaign with just three points, all draws, from their first eight top-flight matches but since then they have become a solid, dependable outfit who have climbed to 12th place in the table and have suffered just three defeats in their last 16 top-flight outings.
