Patrick Vieira says the mood in the Crystal Palace camp is still high despite his team failing to win a game in 2023 so far.
The 1-1 draw against Manchester United at least stopped the rot for Palace who scored a last gasp equaliser through Michael Olise. But Newcastle United will still be the favourites for the encounter in the capital.
Newcastle head to Selhurst Park for a Saturday Night Football clash against Vieira's men as they look to cement their place in the Champions League places. After scraping the point against Man United, the World Cup winner Vieira was feeling better after a miserable 2023 so far.
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Not only have Palace been dumped out of the FA Cup, they have were also hammered 4-0 by Spurs to see the new year in and then beaten at Chelsea. Vieira said: "It feels like a win because we are happy not to lose the game. "It was important for us to perform well collectively and get something. It was really difficult against a good side."
And the ex-Arsenal star reckons that the performance levels in the last two games were good enough to give top teams a run for their money.
He said: "When you look at the performances against Manchester United and Chelsea who are on a different level and playing to win the title, we competed against them. "If we can keep that mentality and discipline, I think we will do well.
"It's been really challenging but we always look a bit deeper than the result. "Our performances have been positive at times and that is how we want to build.
"The process is long and when it's taking time you sometimes have ups and downs. "It's important for me and the club to control our emotions because it will be a really long process."
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