Crystal Palace vs Burnley
English Premier League. Kick off: 3pm, Saturday 1st December.
Few pundits would have predicted Crystal Palace and Burnley to be involved in a relegation dogfight after the impressive way both sides ended last season.
Sean Dyche's Clarets sealed a European slot after the best campaign in their recent history while wily old fox Roy Hodgson steered the Eagles away from relegation after they looked doomed upon his arrival.
But neither team has built on those achievements, making relatively few moves in the transfer market, and it has resulted in them being sucked into trouble at the bottom.
Juggling the Europa League qualifiers with domestic duty hurt Burnley initially but they were knocked out at the end of August so that's hardly a valid excuse as we hurtle towards Christmas.
Dyche's side have picked up just two points in their last six league games and crashed 2-1 at home to fellow strugglers Newcastle in their last game.
That sees them as 11/2 outsiders with 888 Sport ahead of their trip to Selhurst Park, with Crystal Palace 11/20 favourites and the draw 29/10.
But Palace's league form is even worse and they haven't picked up three points since beating Huddersfield 1-0 way back in mid-September.
A lack of firepower has been Hodgson's biggest problem with Crystal Palace drawing a blank eight times in all competitions and far too reliant on Wilfried Zaha.
His fitness has been a concern all season and when Zaha's not flying then Palace offer very little threat. You can see why 888 Sport offer just 3/4 on under 2.5 goals for this one and I'd be tempted to go for under 1.5 at odds of 23/10.
If either side is going to win there's a good chance it will be without conceding. You can get Crystal Palace at 11/8 with 888 Sport and Burnley at 17/2 for this outcome.
Zaha leads the goalscorer markets at 7/2 to net first and 11/8 for anytime scorer at 888 Sport but I'd never rule out spot-kick specialist Luka Milivojevic who is 11/2 and 47/20 respectively.
Recommended bets
- Under 1.5 goals 23/10 (888 Sport)
- Crystal Palace to win with a clean sheet 11/8 (888 Sport)
- Luka Milivojevic anytime scorer 47/20 (888 Sport)
I'm a sports journalist, football tipster and author from Dundee, who is now working in Glasgow. I've covered games at every level, from Junior football to internationals, and still love football even though it has clearly sold its soul. I've been in football tipping since 2018 with the MFT site.
