Dougie warns players & fans of Selhurst Park pitch

Ahead of this weekend's Dougie Freedman Derby (yeah, we're calling it that... maybe), England is expecting snow. London will be getting hit as well and the manager is warning players and fans alike that the game may be called off.

Unlike the Reebok Stadium and a lot of grounds below the Premier League, Selhurst Park does not have undersoil heating. With temperatures near or below freezing leading up and into Saturday, the possibility of a frozen pitch is a very real possibility.

Dougie Freedman, who spent ten years playing at Crystal Palace before managing the club, voiced his concerns:

"I played there for a long time, I can tell you what happens to every blade of grass, what happens when the sun shines on certain bits of the pitch.

"It is a pitch that doesn't take too well to the frost and I believe if the weather we're expecting comes it's going to be 50/50 whether it's on.

"I don't think there's been many changes in terms of their players and I see they're still picking up results, so there's no changes from that point of view.

"Looking at the videos there's not a lot of tinkering with the team so I'm expecting exactly what I left behind - a very good, solid team that's hard to break down.

"We can look at that as an advantage but they may try and double bluff and do something different because they know I know certain aspects of their game and their strengths and their weaknesses.

"So I really can't answer that question, that's probably one for Ian Holloway, but we'll set up in a certain way that I think will give us the best chance of winning the game."