Bournemouth host Crystal Palace in a Premier League fixture with both teams looking to bounce back from defeats in their previous fixtures. Neither side has shown much defensive solidity in recent times and Saturday’s clash is likely to produce goals.
Gary O’Neil was named permanent head coach at the end of November after impressing in his 12-match run as interim manager. He led them off the foot of the table and are now up to 14th, three points above the relegation zone.
Despite all the good work from O’Neil, one problem that still persists for Bournemouth is their vulnerable backline. They have kept just one clean sheet in their last seven matches and are constantly being let down by their defence, throwing away two-goal leads in recent defeats to Tottenham Hotspur and Leeds United.
Bournemouth were beaten 2-0 at Chelsea in their previous Premier League fixture. However, their last outing in front of their fans was a 3-0 victory over Everton.
Crystal Palace have been just as erratic as Bournemouth this season and are only three points and three places above the hosts on the table. They suffered a 3-0 home defeat to Fulham in their previous Premier League fixture having played much of the second half with nine men.
While the two red cards undoubtedly made things difficult, the defeat to Fulham highlights Crystal Palace’s defensive problems this season. Patrick Vieira’s men have kept just one clean sheet in their last six Premier League matches.
Crystal Palace often do their best work at home and have struggled on their travels this season. They have claimed just one away win this term and were beaten 3-1 by Nottingham Forest in their previous fixture on the road.
How the bookies view it
Crystal Palace have a slight edge among the bookies and are priced at 6/4 by bet365 to claim the win. A victory for Bournemouth is valued at 19/10 by William Hill while bet365 is offering odds of 23/10 for a draw.
Head to head
There have been 12 previous matches between Bournemouth and Crystal Palace with both teams claiming four wins each and four draws. The most recent meeting was a League Cup clash in 2020 which ended 0-0 before the Cherries won on penalties.
Players to watch
Bournemouth have spread their goals across the team this season but Kieffer Moore often leads the line and could be worth keeping an eye on. The striker has three goals in his last two home matches and is priced at 10/3 by bet365 to get on the score sheet.
As always Crystal Palace will look to Wilfried Zaha to provide the spark in attack as he looks to add to his six Premier League goals. The attacker did not get much service against Fulham due to the numerical disadvantage but could be backed to find the net on Saturday at 5/2 with bet365.
Anything else catch the eye?
Bournemouth and Crystal Palace are unconvincing at the back and given the quality in attack, both teams could be backed to score at 10/11 with bet365. Four of the last six meetings have produced over 2.5 goals and a repeat is priced at 11/10 by Paddy Power while over 3.5 goals is valued at 3/1 by bet365.
Bournemouth have opened the scoring in their last three home matches across all competitions and could be tipped to score first on Saturday at 6/5 with bet365.
This English Premier League match between Bournemouth and Crystal Palace will be played on Dec 31, 2022 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best Bournemouth vs Crystal Palace prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
