Alan Pardew’s first wish ahead of making his Premier League bow as Crystal Palace boss has not come true.

The Eagles host Tottenham Hotspur tomorrow (Saturday, kick-off 5.30pm) at Selhurst Park, on the back of one win in 14 league games.

Spurs, who were held to a 0-0 when Palace went to the Lane in December, make the short trip over the river on the back of six league games without defeat – including a 5-3 win over Chelsea last time out.

Pardew said: “It is important when you’re fighting relegation that you don’t get teams in red-hot form and Tottenham are, so it’s not the greatest of starts, they were terrific against Chelsea.

“The fact that the Europa League campaign has closed down for this period has helped them – that is a huge factor and we suffered at Newcastle because of it, this is a great period for them.”

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He added: “We will have to try and knock them off their stride, and I am hoping to put a lot of belief into the team.

“But from the welcome I’ve had the place is going to be jumping for us, and we need to exploit that.”

The challenge of keeping Palace in the Premier League is not new to Pardew, and he is under no illusions as to what is required.

“I’ve had experience of this at Charlton, and briefly at Newcastle,” he said.

“It is difficult, you’re trying to get victories against teams that dominate possession – but we have to find a balance between being effective and not surrendering possession to a level where the opposition have more exposure to beat us.”

He added: “I am going to try to change our style a little bit if I can, but that is not something that will happen quickly.”