Crystal Palace have had a solid start to the season, despite complaints from fans about the tactics employed by manager Roy Hodgson. They’ve picked up 10 points from their first six games after beating Fulham, Manchester United and Southampton.
In the last five seasons, the Eagles haven’t managed to win more than 14 games, so three from the first six is a great start.
As Christmas rapidly approaches, there are several good chances for Palace to add to this tally that could see them stay in the top half of the table by the end of the season. These games will also be great opportunities for fans who enjoy betting on matches to take advantage of free bet credits offered by sites like Bet365, especially since there are some games where the Eagles are clear favourites.
So with this in mind, let’s take a look at how the squad might fare.
Wolves – Away
Palace’s next game will be against Wolves on Friday 30th October. The two clubs sit together in the table, with identical points, wins and draws, though Palace have eked ahead with a slightly better goal difference.
The two sides have a fairly even record when going up against each other. Of their last four matches, Wolves have come out on top twice, while Palace has won one, and the other ended in a draw. No more than two goals has been scored in any of these four matches.
Most bookmakers are giving Wolves better odds, though these have been worsening in recent days. Fans seem to disagree with the oddsmakers though, with nearly half of all bets placed being for Crystal Palace, while Wolves and a Draw are around one-quarter each.
Wolves are a fit and healthy squad, with only one player out injured. Jonny Otoo has been out of action since he injured his knee in August, and it’s unlikely he’ll be back in time for the Palace game. That isn’t likely to cause Wolves any issues though as they’ve fared well without him so far this year.
Leeds United – Home
The following week, Palace will be visited by the newly-promoted Leeds United. Unlike most sides that have just taken the step up from the Championship, Leeds have been performing well so far this season.
They’re currently 6th in the table, with the same number of wins, draws and losses as Palace, but with a +3 goal difference to the Eagles’ -1. They’ve impressed many pundits in their first two months back in the top flight, almost beating Liverpool in their opening game, drawing 1-1 against Manchester City, and beating Aston Villa 3-0.
This will likely be a tough game for Palace, but one they can definitely win. Bookmakers are currently giving Leeds more favourable odds, though the difference between the two sides is small and shrinking further.
Leeds also have three players out of action because of injuries, but none of them have played a game so far this season, so this shouldn’t be a problem for them.
Burnley – Away
Burnley is a club that has been struggling this season. The Clarets are yet to win a game so far and have picked up just 1 point from their first five games.
The two sides have gone head-to-head seven times in league games since 2010, and Palace haven’t beaten Burnley since their 2-1 victory in November 2011. Since then, Burnley have beaten them twice in the 2013/14 season and once in the 2015/16 season. This should probably be taken with a grain of salt though since these are very different sides compared to four years ago.
Burnley have no injuries at present, though even at full strength they have their struggles.
It’s too early to get odds from bookmakers, though it seems a fairly safe bet that Palace will come out on top for this game.
Newcastle – Home
Newcastle and Crystal Palace have played each other over a dozen times in Premier League games over the last decade. In the last two seasons, Palace have won two games, Newcastle one, and the other was a draw. Neither side has scored more than a single goal in a game.
Newcastle have won two, lost two, and drawn two in their first six games, leaving them 14th in the table, sandwiched between Manchester City in 13th and Manchester United in 15th. Both Manchester clubs have a game in hand though, so could easily jump several spots up the table.
The club is currently embroiled in legal action and a takeover bid, with a consortium of Saudia Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Reuben Brothers and PCP Capital Partners looking to buy Newcastle United.
While not directly affecting the squad, things like this can often create a distraction for the players and the manager that can be a drag on results. Palace may be able to capitalise on this to bag an additional three points.
Again, bookmakers are not currently publishing odds. However, they’ll likely be fairly even although Palace could have a slight edge.
West Brom – Away
In early December, the Eagles will head north to the Midlands to take on West Brom. The Baggies were one of the three teams to have been promoted into the Premier League this season, and currently sit just above the relegation spots.
The club has drawn three and lost three of its games so far this year, including a 3-3 tie against Chelsea in late September.
Palace have won three of the last four games they’ve played against West Brom, the other being a 0-0 draw, though the two sides haven’t faced each other since 2018.
West Brom has two players out with injuries which may cause them troubles for their next few games. Hal Robson-Kanu has been sitting out games since the start of October after the centre-forward fractured his arm, while the left-back Conor Townsend has been out of action since September after injuring his ankle.
While bookmakers are yet to release odds for this match, it seems another safe bet that Palace will be the favourites.
In all of these games, Palace have a strong chance of winning. This means that we have the opportunity to bag as many as 15 points in the next month and a half, which would really help come the end of the season.
