England Premier League
Tuesday 26th January 2021
Kick off at 6pm GMT
Venue: Selhurst Park
Match Preview:
The midweek games kick off when West Ham visit Crystal Palace in a match, which is classified as another London derby. There was just 1 Premier League game last weekend because attentions turned to the fourth round of the FA Cup and to make up for that another batch of games will be played in midweek.
Crystal Palace lost 4-0 at Manchester City in their last game and even though it was to City the defeat would have left a sour taste in the players mouths. One of the reasons is that Palace have done so well at the Etihad in the recent seasons, but they just fell apart to some fantastic goals and City are on fire at the moment.
The City defeat was Palace’s first loss in 3 games and their dogged spirit means that they won’t be facing a relegation battle this season. The Eagles are in 13th place and 11 points clear of the danger zone. At home it’s won 3, lost 3 and drawn 3, so there hasn’t been a winning consistency from them. They did win their last home game beating Sheffield United 2-0.
West Ham are continuing one of their most fruitful seasons in recent memory under David Moyes and come into this game with 32 points and are only 2 points shy of Liverpool. This is a big game for the Hammers who could make a big splash into the top six with a win. Form is excellent as they have won their last 3 games and haven’t lost a game for over a month.
It’s exciting times for the Hammers and at the weekend they beat Doncaster 4-0 to advance to the fifth round of the FA Cup. On the road they have won more than they have lost with just one defeat coming to Chelsea in their last 5 trips.
Team News:
Crystal Palace: Wilfried Zaha is carrying what is thought to be a minor knock and has a chance to play. Max Meyer left the club last week. There are longer term injuries to the likes of Jeffrey Schlupp, Martin Kelly and Nathan Ferguson.
West Ham: Darren Randolph has a knock but is being tipped to be fit for the squad. Other than this the Hammers have no new injury concerns.
Crystal Palace vs West Ham Head to Head:
Last season Crystal Palace won this game 2-1.
Earlier in the season in the reverse fixture which only took place last month the game ended 1-1.
It’s been 4 league games since West Ham won at Palace going back to 2016.
The last 7 league meetings have a 100% win rate of seeing both teams to score.
Crystal Palace vs West Ham Prediction:
This hasn’t been an easy ground for West Ham to come too in past seasons and even though on paper this should turn out to be an away win anyone who knows the game will understand how tight this encounter could end up.
Palace are in a good position in that there is really no threat of relegation but at the same time as it stands no chance of European football either so we come to a crossroads with a club like this where they could put in a superb performance or a mediocre one.
In some ways then there is more pressure on West Ham to come here and perform, as if Palace have the luxury to ask, show us what you have? Because maybe some sections of the media are waiting for the Londoners to fall and form to fade. History says it can happen with the Hammers against the most unlikeliest of opposition.
This is going to be a close game, and a hard one to call because West Ham have the quality to win this and it wouldn’t be a surprise. But one wonders with Palace, they are the team that pull out a solid win every now and again, and this could be the right moment for them to remind clubs such as West Ham why football can be so frustrating even if you come into a game with lots of confidence.
We are going to back the away side for the win but also cover the draw (refund if draw) for extra safety. We also think Michail Antonio is looking good value to get a goal so will back him to score at anytime during the match.
Crystal Palace vs West Ham Betting Tips:
Draw no bet (West Ham) at 1.66
Anytime goalscorer: Michail Antonio at 2.75
© Copyright topfootballtipster.com 2019
