Two clubs separated only by four points in the Premier League table meet at Selhurst Park on Sunday afternoon as eighth-placed Crystal Palace entertains 14th-placed Tottenham.
Crystal Palace head into this clash off the back of successive heavy defeats, as they lost 0-3 at home to in-form Manchester City before losing 4-1 away at newly-promoted Leeds United.
Despite that heavy loss at Elland Road, Oliver Glasner’s men have a better record on their travels this season, as they have won just twice at home in the Premier League this term, with their 2-0 victory over poor-travelling Brentford being their solitary win in their last five at Selhurst Park (W1-D2-L2).
The pressure continues to mount on Spurs boss Thomas Frank, as his side lost 1-2 at home to Liverpool last weekend, on an evening where all three of my selections landed.
Tottenham have now won just one of their previous eight Premier League outings (W1-D2-L5), leaving them languishing in 14th position, four points behind their hosts in eighth.
How the bookies view it: Palace favourites
Despite winning just one of their last five Premier League matches at home, Crystal Palace have been installed as favourites for this clash, with bet365 pricing a home success at 6/5.
Bet365 have Spurs at 23/10 to claim just their second win from their last nine Premier League encounters, whilst the draw is 9/4.
Head to head: Three on the spin for the Eagles?
Crystal Palace did their double over Spurs last season, winning 1-0 at Selhurst Park, before securing a 0-2 victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium back in May.
Players to watch: More goals for Mateta?
Despite failing to score in each of his previous four Premier League appearances, Jean-Phillipe Mateta remains Crystal Palace’s top goal scorer once again this season, finding the back of the net on seven occasions.
The French forward scored the only goal in this corresponding fixture last season, and is an appealing 5/4 at bet365 to get on the scoresheet on Sunday.
Backed a player to find the net? Check our Goalscorer Betting guide to see how the markets work and where to find value.
Predicted line-ups:
Crystal Palace will be without the injured Daniel Munoz, Cheick Doucoure, Chadi Riad, Caleb Kporha and Daichi Kamala, as well as Ismaila Sarr, who is away to the Africa Cup of Nations, whilst Chris Richards and Eddie Nketiah are doubts.
Spurs will once again be without Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison, Dominic Solanke, Destiny Udogie, Radu Dragusin and Koto Takai through injury, whilst Yves Bissouma and Pape Sarr are away at AFCON. Cristian Romero and Xavi Simons are suspended following their red cards against Liverpool last time out.
Crystal Palace: Henderson, Canvot, Lacroix, Guehi, Clyne, Wharton, Lerma, Mitchell, Devenny, Pino, Mateta
Tottenham Hotspur: Vicario, Porro, Danso, Van de Ven, Spence, Gray, Bentancur, Kudus, Bergvall, Odobert, Kolo Muani
Anything else catch the eye?
Neither of these two clubs enters this clash in particularly good form, meaning I’m keen to swerve the WDW markets and focus on goals.
Spurs’ last 14 Premier League encounters have averaged 3.07 goals per game, with Over 2.5 Goals banking in 11 (79%) of them, including in each of their previous seven away from home (3-0, 2-2, 2-1, 3-0, 1-4, 2-2 & 0-3).
Over 2.5 Goals has also been a winning selection in four of Crystal Palace’s last five Premier League encounters, and a repeat pays an appealing 1/1 at bet365.
Crystal Palace vs Tottenham Hotspur Betting Tips & Predictions
Further Reading