Southampton lost their first game of the season at the weekend when they were beaten by Watford, while Crystal Palace are still to find their first win. The pressure is on at Crystal Palace and with a tough run of fixtures coming up, this game has quickly turned into a crucial one for them. It won’t be easy, Southampton are more than capable of putting up a good enough performance to win this game.
Crystal Palace v Southampton
Premier League – Selhurst Park, London – Saturday, 16 September, 12:30 UK Time
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Draw Best Odd of: 11/5 at Ladbrokes |
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Crystal Palace
SouthamptonThe fans, the media and everyone will be looking for a response from Crystal Palace after Frank de Boer was sacked after just four Premier League games. They have to justify that decision and after this game they face some of the best in the league, so winning here is vital. However, Southampton are a tough team to crack, and I can really see Palace struggling to pick anything up against them.
Crystal Palace Form
It has been a wild few weeks for Crystal Palace. On the whole they have been very disappointing and that has resulted in Frank de Boer being sacked after just four Premier League games. That decision has come under fire from many, so the players need to go out and prove it was a justified move and they will perform better without de Boer on the side line.
The one area that needs immediate attention at Crystal Palace is their goal scoring, they are yet to score a goal this Premier League season. That must change, they have to find a way to score goals, it doesn’t have to be pretty but they have to do something.
The next few weeks are going to shape just how much trouble Crystal Palace are in this season. They have some very tough games coming up and need to find a way to pick up something from this one.
Southampton Form
Southampton went unbeaten in their first three games, winning one and drawing two of them. They were beaten at the weekend by Watford at home in what was a small surprise, and they need to bounce back from that.
Southampton have only played one away game so far and in that game they drew 0-0 with Huddersfield. That was a good result at what will be a tough place to play this season and they can build on that with a positive result here. They know how to set up away from home to make it difficult for the home club and if they get a chance then I believe they can do enough to win this game.
Team News
The key man at Crystal Palace is Christian Benteke. If he is in the right frame of mind and the club gets him on side, he is one of the toughest forwards to handle in the league, but right now he just doesn’t look that interested in playing for Palace. He has to change his ways, the club have to get him on board with what they are doing and if they can do that he is more than capable of scoring goals for them. A Crystal Palace team with a fully focuses Christian Benteke is a completely different proposition for opposing defences.
Goal scoring is also an area of concern for Southampton this season, just as it was last season. Against Watford they tried Manolo Gabbiadini, Shane Long and Charlie Austin at different periods during the game and none of those could create any meaningful chances for the Saints. They have enough creativity behind them, but the strikers at the club really need to find a way to put their chances away, if they do that then Southampton will climb the table.
Top Betting Tips
This is a very important game for Crystal Palace and they really need to pick up something from it, before they head into a very tough run of games. However, I don’t believe they will pick anything up, there is just too much going on at the club right now for them to focus on this game and that will be their downfall this week.
I am going to back Southampton to find a goal from somewhere and win the game, they are priced up at 64 with Ladbrokes and Coral, which I believe is fair value for them. They have the ability to keep Crystal Palace out and I believe they will do that, they just need to find a goal from somewhere to give them the win, it doesn’t have to be pretty.