Football
Football
Match Report
Gambling
News

Bournemouth vs Crystal Palace Preview: Odds, Tips and Prediction, Dec 26, 2024

The high-flying Cherries welcome an incredibly inconsistent Crystal Palace to the Vitality Stadium on Boxing Day. The three points on offer will be vital for both sides, but for those looking to have a bet, SportsBoom unpacks all of the latest odds from your favourite football betting sportsbooks, insights and our Bournemouth vs Crystal Palace prediction for this encounter.

Ryan Liberty
Ryan Liberty

Last Updated: 2024-12-19

Chad Nagel

5 minutes read

Dean Huijsen, Marcus Tavernier and Antoine Semenyo

Dean Huijsen, Marcus Tavernier and Antoine Semenyo//Getty Images

Pre-Game Odds and Win Probability: Bournemouth the favourites

  1. Home: 24/25 (1.96) – 49%

  2. Draw: 11/4 (3.75) – 25%

  3. Away: 53/20 (3.65) – 26%

Head-To-Head Record

Last five meetings (Premier League)

  1. 02/04/2024: Bournemouth 1–0 Crystal Palace

  2. 06/12/2023: Crystal Palace 0–2 Bournemouth

  3. 13/05/2023: Crystal Palace 2–0 Bournemouth

  4. 31/12/2022: Bournemouth 0–2 Crystal Palace

  5. 20/06/2020: Bournemouth 0–2 Crystal Palace

Bournemouth Current Form – LWWWD

One aspect of Premier League football – which is largely underrated – is the ability for a team to achieve success and consistency without drawing too much attention to themselves. 

Bournemouth are another example of that this season. Hardly anyone is talking about them, but what a team they have been! Ranked 5th in the league for chances created, completely committed to their forward-playing approach and structured defence has seen them enjoy a season (so far) to be proud of. 

Key Players to Watch

  • Ryan Christie: One of the most effective players for the Cherries, the way in which Ryan Christie hunts for the ball once his side lose it not only increases the intensity of the Bournemouth midfield, but also encourages an aggressive press from those around him.
  • Lewis Cook: Another midfielder who has had an incredible impact on this Bournemouth side, Cook has been brilliant in the middle of the park. His work rate is second to none and the rate at which he turns the ball over in the middle third has seen him ranked 5th in the entire league in this department. 
  • Milos Kerkez: The versatile left-back has seen a rise in prominence this season. His defensive solidity, coupled with his openness to getting up and down the field has been celebrated by his manager and the fans at the Vitality Stadium! A youngster with an experienced confidence – he will no doubt be wanting to have a say in the way this one goes.

Bournemouth Team News

Bournemouth are likely to be without Alex Scott (meniscus injury), Julian Araujo (hamstring injury), Luis Sinisterra (knock), Marcus Tavernier (hamstring injury) and Marcus Senesi (thing injury) for this match with Palace. 

Crystal Palace Current Form – DDWDW

Crystal Palace have been an incredibly frustrating team to follow for punters recently. They really have just blown hot and cold for the most part of the season, but then again, their statistics don’t exactly paint the picture of a team struggling for form either. 

Granted, they have struggled to get over the line and, in many ways, dropped unnecessary points – but the reality is that they have become a serial ‘draw’ team. Simple as that. 

At the time of writing, they have only scored 18 goals in the league so far, when you consider they have created 35 ‘big chances’ (per opta statistics) their conversion rate is just far too low. 

Key Players to Watch

  • Marc Guéhi: Yes, he hasn’t shown the boldness or confidence we saw last season, but this is a defender who through risk-taking has put his team in incredible attacking positions. He has thrived under manager Glasner’s proactive style, and it is only a matter of time before we see that again.
  • Jefferson Lerma: Although his season has already been hampered by injury; he is without question one of Palace’s strongest defenders. His positional play ensures defensive solidity and offers cover to the back three. 
  • Eberechi Eze: After Michael Olise was sold to Bayern Munich, the suggestion was that the pressure on Eze was now unconscionable. Now, whilst an element of this is somewhat true – considering Eze has de facto become the chief creator at Palace – his movement has continuously drawn in defenders and as such created space in the final third for his team to capitalize on.

Crystal Palace Team News

Rob Holding (unknown), Joel Ward (calf injury), Franco Umeh-Chibueze (hamstring injury), Chadi Riad (knee injury), Adam Wharton (groin injury) and Matheus Franca (groin inury) are unavailable for the Eagles.

Predicted Line-Up

  1. Bournemouth: 4-2-3-1

    Arrizabalaga, Kerkez, Huijsen, Zabarnyi, Smith, Christie, Cook, Semenyo, Kluivert, Quattara, Evanilson. 

  2. Crystal Palace: 3-4-2-1

    Henderson, Chalobah, Lacroix, Guehi, Munoz, Hughes, Lerma, Mitchell, Sarr, Eze, Mateta.

Suggested Bets

Its Boxing Day Premier League action and you need to navigate your way through your betting slip…good news! We can help! 

  1. Bournemouth: The Cherries have been far more consistant this season and given their creativity, defensive stability and goal scoring prowess – we can’t see past the home win. 24/25 (1.96) with Betway and 1xBet

  2. Over 2.5 Goals: You have two teams who are happy to employ attacking tactics, they are both happy to be bold going forward and at times risk space for the opponent to counter – so for us it’s a no-brainer. 18/25 (1.72) with Betway and 1xBet

  3. Halftime/Fulltime + Over 1.5 Goals: Bournemouth should dominate this game from the onset. In what we think might be a smart play, back the Cherries to be leading at half-time and full-time, together over 1.5 goals in the game. 47/20 (3.35) with Betway and 1xBet

Value Bets

  1. Correct Score 2-1: Back the Cherries to edge this game 2-1, the value about the correct score pick is incredible! 8/1 (9.0) with Betway and BetWinner

  2. 1st Goal (Bournemouth): You can expect the Vitality to be absolutely bouncing, we think Bournemouth start the game with a fierce intensity and see a reward by way of an early goal. Back the hosts to open the scoring. 33/50 (1.66) with Betway and BetWinner

  3. Winning Margin (Bournemouth by 1): Simply as a value pick, back Bournemouth to edge the game by the odd goal. For those not brave enough for the correct score pick – this might be the easier pick. 29/10 (3.9) with Betway and 1xBet

Prediction: Bournemouth to Win

Our prediction for the Premier League clash between Bournemouth vs Crystal Palace is for the hosts to claim all three points. They have shown a brilliant balance between attack and defence and given the season they are currently enjoying, we can’t see how Palace hurt them. 

Ryan Liberty
Ryan LibertySports Writer

Ryan Liberty is an experienced sports writer whose articles have featured in some of the biggest sports publications in South Africa. With a strong understanding of all major sports and an in-depth understanding of betting, Ryan consistently delivers insightful content. He's also known for his ability to break down complex topics into engaging, reader-friendly pieces.