Palace and Newcastle both seek a turning point at Selhurst Park

Sunday's Premier League meeting between Crystal Palace and Newcastle United carries weight far beyond three points, with both clubs still searching for stability after summer changes at the top.

Palace have shipped 17 goals in seven league matches since Pierre Sage replaced Oliver Glasner, according to Guardian Football, a defensive record that has unsettled supporters accustomed to the security Glasner's counterattacking shape provided.

The switch from Glasner's 3-4-2-1 to Sage's more aggressive setup has left gaps at the back, and last weekend's defeat at Brighton was described by Guardian Football as humiliating. Even Palace's two league wins this season, against Fulham and Nottingham Forest, were games that could have slipped away.

That run has left the club glancing nervously towards the bottom three rather than building on the momentum Glasner generated before his departure.

Sage was warned following the Brighton loss that rapid improvement is required, Guardian Football reports, and the Palace chair Steve Parish is understood not yet to be convinced by the Frenchman, who guided Lens to the French Cup last season. Parish has specifically demanded a tightening at the back.

A creditable Europa League draw with Besiktas in midweek offered Sage some breathing space, but Guardian Football frames Sunday's visit of Newcastle as pivotal to his immediate future at Selhurst Park.

Thomas Frank and Kieran McKenna are reported as the likely candidates should Palace move Sage on, though any approach for McKenna would be complicated by the substantial compensation Ipswich would be owed despite his having already left Portman Road over the summer.

Newcastle arrive having undergone their own transformation, having sold three key performers in Sandro Tonali, Anthony Gordon and Bruno Guimarães during the summer window. Eight new faces were brought in, four of them aged 20 or under and the rest 24 or younger, with only Nico González possessing prior Premier League experience.

Matthias Jaissle took over as head coach after Newcastle paid Saudi club Al-Ahli £9.5m in compensation, convinced his style of what Guardian Football calls vertical football suited the club's direction. The chief executive David Hopkinson and sporting director Ross Wilson have been impressed by the German's collaborative management approach, even as the early-season honeymoon with supporters has faded.

Jaissle's side go into the weekend off the back of a 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa, as reported by Yahoo Sports, and are expected to revert to a 4-2-3-1 shape at Selhurst Park with one change to the starting XI.

William Osula is tipped to lead the attack, with Lukas Hornicek continuing in goal after conceding once in his last outing and Malick Thiaw partnering Sven Botman in central defence. Lewis Miley and Lewis Hall are projected at full-back, with Fabian Schar held in reserve.

Joelinton and González are expected to sit at the base of midfield, behind an attacking trio of Harvey Barnes, Yoane Wissa and Matias Fernandez-Pardo, according to Yahoo Sports' predicted lineup, with Joe Willock, Jacob Murphy and Sean Steur among the substitutes.

Sunday's result at Selhurst Park could therefore shape not just the league table but the managerial landscape at one, or possibly both, of these clubs in the weeks ahead.