England Premier League
Saturday 29th April 2023
Kick off at 12:30pm BST
Venue: Selhurst Park
Match Preview:
Crystal Palace are 8 points clear of the bottom three and will feel that they are safe now, however that isn’t quite the case for West Ham who have 34 points, survival looks good for the Hammers but they will feel another win is required from their remaining six games.
The unbeaten run for Palace with Roy Hodgson in charge came to an end in midweek as they lost 2-0 away to Wolves. Still a return of 10 points from the first five games is fantastic and it seems like only a matter of time now before Palace’s survival status is secured. If the maths works out the cut off point will be 35 points, so in effect the club are already safe. They will of course want to get back to winning ways and recent home form has been solid with just one loss in their last five. The Eagles last game here ended in a 0-0 draw against Everton. One note of motivation for the home side could be going past Chelsea with a win here with the Blues not playing until 3 days later.
West Ham are in 15th and would join Palace on the same points with a win. In midweek the Londoners lost 2-1 at home to Liverpool but they gave the Reds a real game and some observers feel they were denied a penalty when Thiago appeared to handball in the area, which could have made it 2-2. There has been an overall upturn in form for the club from their European exploits reaching the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League to losing just once in their last four games but the worry for the fans will be if the loss to Liverpool could have ended that.
Team News:
Crystal Palace: Joachim Andersen is a doubt with a muscle injury and will be assessed. Wilfried Zaha is 50/50 to return from a groin injury and will also be assessed.
West Ham: There are no new injury concerns for the Hammers, however Gianluca Scamacca remains sidelined with a knee injury with no fixed return date.
Crystal Palace vs West Ham Head to Head:
Last season West Ham won this fixture 3-2.
Earlier in the season in the reverse fixture Crystal Palace won 2-1.
Crystal Palace has managed just 3 wins over West Ham in the last 15 meetings.
Crystal Palace vs West Ham Prediction:
West Ham have a good record overall against Crystal Palace and if they haven’t let the Liverpool defeat get to them then they have a real chance of picking up something. The clubs thinking has to be Premier League survival before their Conference League semi-finals that would be ideal so getting a win here will be incredibly important. Crystal Palace have been excellent since Hodgson has returned but is that starting to unravel? Against Everton they looked toothless against a side with no confidence and no goals and of course they lost in midweek to Wolves. Wilfried Zaha may be back and that would be a huge boost for the club, but how rusty will he be after spending nearly a month out?
We will back the Hammers to get back on track and are reminded of their last away game with a superb 4-0 win over Bournemouth. The players look confident and in particular Lucas Paqueta has stepped up a gear and is now scoring goals. If David Moyes’ side can start the brighter they could get the maximum points, although either way we expect to see a close game.
Crystal Palace vs West Ham Betting Tips:
Draw no bet (West Ham) at 1.91
Anytime goalscorer: Lucas Paqueta at 6.40
The 'PLACE BET' button will take you to BetUK.com, where these selections can be found. Please gamble responsibly, 18+ BeGambleAware.org
© Copyright topfootballtipster.com 2019
