Sunderland vs Crystal Palace: How key men Januzaj and Townsend compare

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The two wingers are key to their side’s hopes this season.

Saturday afternoon sees Sunderland hosting Crystal Palace at the Stadium of Light.

The Black Cats are keen to pick up all three points from the game, having managed just one point from their first five games so far.

They face a tough ask to get them against Alan Pardew’s side, who have been in fine form in recent weeks.

After a slow start to the season, they have won their last two games in the Premier League to sit eighth in the table.

The summer transfer window saw both clubs adding to their options in the wide areas as Sunderland signed Adnan Januzaj on loan from Manchester United and Palace brought in Andros Townsend from Newcastle United.

So how have the two players compared so far this season? We decided to take a look.

It proved to be a comfortable win for Townsend as he came out on top in six of the eight areas we looked at.

On a per game basis, he has played more accurate passes and registered a better passing accuracy than Januzaj so far.

He has also posted more accurate crosses per game and enjoyed a better crossing accuracy than the Belgian.

Attacking wise he has also been more of a threat, registering more shots on target per game and bagging one goal. Januzaj is yet to open his account.

The only area the Manchester United loanee came out on top was when it came to dribbling, having won more contests per game than Townsend.

The duo were level on assists, having both failed to register one yet.

A win for Townsend overall, though, and Crystal Palace will be hoping he can remain on top to help them to all three points at the Stadium of Light.