West Ham United forward Michail Antonio could face a key battle against Cheikhou Kouyate at Selhurst Park on Boxing Day.
On the chalkboard
Since returning from injury the West Ham ace has been in superb form, causing a variety of problems for opposition defences, scoring in his comeback game against Tottenham Hotspur.
In the three games that he has started since that derby day loss, he has won 21 aerial duels, made 11 dribbles and provided three key passes, while he also had two goals disallowed.
This indicates that he will be somebody the Hammers look to for inspiration against the Eagles, but he will likely have to overcome his former teammate Kouyate to provide it.
Key battle
The most notable time that they played together was the final season at Upton Park, with the pair both starting the stadium’s swansong as they beat Manchester United 3-2.
The Senegal international played his first game at centre-back for Palace during their 1-0 loss against Newcastle United on Saturday, and while there were no points to take away, he excelled in the position.
Coming up against Andy Carroll and Joelinton, Kouyate ended up winning all three of his tackles and making four interceptions.
Antonio, alongside Sebastien Haller, could be a troublesome player for the 30-year-old to face if he is deployed in defence again, which is likely, as Scott Dann will be unavailable.
When playing with the Frenchman against Southampton, Antonio gave the Hammers a massive threat with his running in behind the defence, which is something Kouyate will have to deal with.
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It will also be intriguing to see who comes out on top when the Englishman has the ball at his feet, as Antonio averages 2.4 dribbles per game, while Kouyate has been making 1.9 tackles.
The two men may be former teammates, but they will put that to the side as they play out a battle that could define which side comes out on top.
In other news, the Hammers face competition from Bayern Munich to get their transfer target.
