Tottenham Hotspur vs Crystal Palace
When Crystal Palace head to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday they will arrive in good spirits after a nice little run. But against an improving Spurs side, they might just be about to come unstuck.
Jose Mourinho and Roy Hodgson are two of the most respected managers in European football, let alone the Premier League. They use different styles with the media but they both have stacks of experience and are able to analyse data brilliantly to enable their players to nullify any opposition.
Mourinho has more talent at his disposal in his squad and he still has hopes of a top four finish, but Hodgson has done a brilliant job at Selhurst Park to steer his team clear of relegation danger.
The pre-match Spurs vs Crystal Palace betting odds back a Tottenham victory. And as they arguably have more to play for, I’d be surprised if they don’t take all three points.
Talking Points
Bale can still rescue Spurs’ league season
Spurs have come under some criticism for their style of play during this campaign as they have struggled to break into the race for the Champions League places.
Fans and neutrals look at a team with the prolific Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son up front, and the quality of Lucas Moura and Erik Lamela in support, and wonder why they sit in eighth position.
Oh and then there’s Gareth Bale of course!
Bale has three league goals now to add to Kane’s 14 and Son’s 13. It doesn’t sound like an impressive return for such a highly rated star, but he has struggled with injury since his return to Tottenham.
However, over the past couple of weeks, he has approached his best form by starring in Spurs’ recent 4-0 annihilation of Burnley.
He was big on the Premier League 2021 news when he returned to North London in the summer but hasn’t quite met the huge expectations yet.
SBOTOP fans may still be in for a treat if Bale really hits his straps in the coming weeks, and Mourinho seems to have loosened the structure of his side to allow his flair players more freedom.
French midfielder Tanguy Ndombele is starting to look like the player Spurs hoped for when they shelled out a record 60-M Euros to bring him from Lyon. He could be a key man to help his team cut through Palace’s high energy midfield.
Eagles are almost safe
Crystal Palace have inched close to safety since a home reversal to Burnley three weeks ago. A win and two draws have taken Roy Hodgson’s side up to 13th in the table and 11 points clear of the drop.
The Eagles pulled off a classic win over Brighton as the Seagulls attacked for much of the game but were toothless, and they paid the price when Christian Benteke showed them how to finish to make it 2-1 in the 95th minute.
Palace followed that up with a 0-0 draw against Fulham and we didn’t expect a goal fest in their fixture with Manchester United on Wednesday, but the Red Devils were nullified on a foggy night at Selhurst Park as they shared the points in another goalless stalemate.
Star striker Wilfried Zaha has been injured and if he remains sidelined much will be on the shoulders of Christian Benteke and Andros Townsend.
But the strikers can rely on their more defensive players to shine. Goalkeeper Vicente Guaita has been in outstanding form while the experienced centre-back Gary Cahill and team captain Luka Milivojevic lead by example.
History
Tottenham have a strong record in this fixture. They are leading by 13 wins to five in the head-to-heads, with Palace also managing to earn six draws in all the meetings since the Premier League began.
The two teams played out a 1-1 draw at Selhurst Park in December when Jeffrey Schlupp scored a late equaliser to cancel out Kane’s opener as Guaita frustrated the Spurs’ strikers with another fine display.
While the Eagles are unbeaten in three, Tottenham have won their last three games at home and will hope to make it four.
Betting Tip
 |
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Tottenham Hotspur vs Crystal Palace | Under 2.50 @ 2.04 |
| March 08, 03:15 (GMT+8) |
Tottenham are at 1.43 to win this game with the draw at 3.88, and you can get 5.99 for an Eagles win.
Roy Hodgson’s side have an extra day to prepare as Spurs have a Thursday night fixture away to Fulham as a warm up, but Jose Mourinho can shuffle his squad a little with players hitting form.
The Eagles haven’t exactly been flying as they’re more just fluttering to safety. And as I believe they are pretty much safe, I expect Tottenham to bring Hodgson’s men down to earth.
1-0 at odds of 6.00 is the most likely result, and Palace will certainly make it hard for their hosts. But Bale, Kane, and Son should manage one or two goals between them.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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