Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson insists victory at fellow strugglers West Brom on Saturday would give their Premier League survival hopes a major shot in the arm.
Palace remain bottom, despite the marked improvement Hodgson has overseen since taking charge in September, but could go level on points with the 17th-placed Baggies with a win at the Hawthorns.
To do so, however, they will have to score their first top-flight goals on the road this season in a fixture in which both managers will be facing former clubs. West Brom appointed Alan Pardew as the successor to Tony Pulis on Wednesday.
Read more: West Brom hail 'new era' with appointment of Alan Pardew
“It would mean an awful lot because we are working very hard to try and retrieve the situation we have created for ourselves and to get ourselves higher up the table,” said Hodgson.
“Victory against a team which is also at the moment suffering from the spectre of relegation would be an enormous boost for us. But we know it won’t be easy – no trip to the Hawthorns has ever been easy, at least not in recent years.”
Palace quartet Yohan Cabaye, Luka Milivojevic, Jeffrey Schlupp and Scott Dann are all doubts for the match after sitting out training on Thursday.
Read more: Hodgson thrilled with clean sheet as Eagles earn away point
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