The France international was on target with a bullet header against Fulham three days ago, opening his and the Eagles’ account for 2026 in an eventual 1-1 draw.
The fixtures have come thick and fast for Palace and Mateta over the festive period, with the Eagles’ top scorer having started every Premier League game so far this season – and Mateta is targeting today’s trip to St. James’ Park as an opportunity to help Palace to a first league win in five matches.
The 28-year-old admitted: “It's always tough to go there – I think I’ve only won once there [2-1, back in February 2021] – but I hope we're going to win there.
“It's very important to win games, because we've struggled for a few weeks and for a few games now. A win would be a good boost for us.
“And I know when we start to win one, we'll keep on winning.”