This game is a real contract between third placed Tottenham who are scoring for fun right now and bottom club Crystal Palace who are finding goals very hard to come by. Tottenham will come into this one on a huge high after their Champions League victory over Real Madrid, but need to watch out and not be complacent against a Crystal Palace team who shocked Chelsea to pick up their only win of the season so far. This should be a walk in the park for Tottenham, they should have far too much for their London rivals, but football is a funny game and Spurs should take nothing for granted when they take to the field on Sunday.
Premier League – Wembley-Stadion, Wembley – Sunday 5h November – 12:00 UK Time
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Draw Best Odd of: 5 at Ladbrokes |
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Tottenham
Crystal PalaceTottenham Form
Tottenham look to have finally solved their problems at Wembley stadium and their recent 4-1 victory over Liverpool and 3-1 victory over Real Madrid has seen them at their very best. On their day Tottenham are as good as anyone else in the league, but little mistakes often creep into their game and it would be typically Tottenham to lose this game after beating Madrid.
Spurs have excelled at both ends of the field, scoring 19 goals in the league as well as many more in the Champions League and their defensive record is good too. They have conceded seven league goals, showing they have found the perfect balance between attack and defence, something that other clubs have struggled with.
The fight for the top four looks to be as strong as it has ever been and after losing to Manchester United last weekend Tottenham would love three points here to get back on track. Anything other than a victory would be a huge shock, but it would open to door for clubs behind Tottenham and that is something they don’t want to do at this stage.
Crystal Palace Form
Aside from their shock victory over Chelsea in October there has been nothing to cheer about for the fans of Crystal Palace. They have been very disappointing, picking up just four points from ten games, looking like they are incapable of scoring and incapable of defending. While it is not panic stations just yet, Palace will want to pick up some points before Christmas, otherwise they could face an impossible task getting out of the relegation zone.
Right now Crystal Palace are just four points from safety, which is a gap they can close easily. However, of the five teams that are close to them, I would expect to see Everton, West Ham, Bournemouth and West Brom all show improved form over the coming weeks, which may mean trouble for Palace. They will have to match that, and start picking up points at a regular rate if they are to remain in touch.
A draw against West Ham last weekend showed that some character still remains in this Crystal Palace team and they are going to have to pull that out again on Sunday. Wembley is a tough place to play, but everyone on that pitch should get a great feeling from stepping out onto that turf, and Crystal Palace have to use that to their advantage. It would be a huge task for them to get anything, but they have to go into the game believing they can do something.
Team News
Harry Kane is the star man for Tottenham and after missing out against Manchester United last weekend he was able to play over 70 minutes in the win over Real Madrid. There is a good chance that Tottenham will rest him with an eye on the future, and that would mean a start for Fernando Llorente in attack. Wilfried Zaha scored the late equaliser for Crystal Palace last weekend and he again needs to be the spark that lifts his team. He is capable of causing anyone problems and as we have seen from him last weekend, when he plays well the team responds and joins in.
Top Betting Tips
This looks like it could be a comfortable afternoon for Tottenham and they should have far too much quality at both ends of the field for Crystal Palace. Even without Harry Kane they have many other goal scoring threats and I expect to see them run out comfortable winners here. The main market is not very appealing, so I will be backing Tottenham to win 3-0 which is priced at 8/1 with Ladbrokes and offers a fair bet based on their scoring ability and the defence that Crystal Palace have.