England Premier League
Thursday 26th December 2019
Kick off at 3pm GMT
Venue: Selhurst Park
Match Preview:
Crystal Palace lost to Newcastle 1-0 last weekend and the club come into this game with no wins in their last 3 games. Maybe that isn’t a total disaster given that two of those matches ended in draws, and before that Palace were in good form. Still the Eagles have fallen to 12th place and will want a win here, which could take them flying into the top 10.
Home form for Roy Hodgson’s side reads as won 3, drawn 3, and lost 3, and so they have shown no dominance at home. They have at least gone their last two home matches unbeaten after a win against Bournemouth and a draw against Brighton.
West Ham are in 16th place and have lost 2 of their last three games. It seems that when Manuel Pellegrini’s job is on the line his team dig out a performance to justify why he was appointed in the first place. However 16th was no ones idea of where the Hammers should be this season and they are just 4 points from the drop.
The Hammers last game ended in a 1-0 win over Southampton and the relief at the final whistle from Pellegrini suggested his job was on the line if they had not picked up maximum points. The one advantage West Ham have over their direct rivals is that they have played a game less, this is because their game with Liverpool was postponed due to the World Club Cup.
Team News:
Crystal Palace: Gary Cahill looks set to miss the rest of the year with a knock. Scott Dann will be assessed after a muscle injury
West Ham: Lukasz Fabianski could return after his long term hip injury. He is 50/50 for this game. Ryan Fredericks is suspended for this game. Manuel Lanzini could return from his shoulder injury, David Martin has a minor muscle injury and should be fine to be selected either to start or go from the bench
Crystal Palace vs West Ham Head to Head:
Last season this fixture ended 1-1.
In the last 5 meetings West Ham have just one victory.
The last 5 meetings has seen both teams to score.
Crystal Palace vs West Ham Prediction:
West Ham have an interesting record here where they go a few games without win and then claim a few wins. If the pattern was to continue they would win this one. Both sides have been pretty unspectacular recently with Palace never being an easy team to play against. West Ham when they want to can play decent football but their major problem is running out of steam as the game goes on. Palace's games this season average under 2 goals (1.7) at home, and West Ham's games average a fraction over 2 goals (2.1) away from home, so statistically speaking over 2 goals should be unlikely. We think this will be a very close game and could be low on goals, but Palace might just edge it.
Crystal Palace vs West Ham Betting Tips:
Asian handicap (0.0 Crystal Palace) at 1.625
Goal line (Under 3) at 1.50
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