Football
West Ham vs Crystal Palace Preview: Odds, Tips and Prediction
Venue: London Stadium Kickoff Time: 17:00 (UK Time) An all-London clash awaits at the London Stadium, West Ham welcomes city rivals Palace on Saturday, 18th January. These two sides will want to ensure they finish off the season strong and will no doubt be eyeing the three points on offer here. Separated by just a handful of points, here is our West Ham Crystal Palace prediction.
Eddie Nketiah//Getty Images
Pre-Game Odds and Win Probability – Tight Contest Expected
Home: – 8/5 (2.60) – 38,5%
Draw: – 47/20 (3.35) – 29,9%
Away: – 17/10 (2.70) – 37%
Head-To-Head Record
Last five meetings (Premier League)
24/08/2024: Crystal Palace 0–2 West Ham
04/08/2024: Crystal Palace 3–1 West Ham
21/04/2024: Crystal Palace 5–2 West Ham
03/12/2023: West Ham 1–1 Crystal Palace
29/04/2023: Crystal Palace 4–3 West Ham
West Ham Form – DWLLL
If he hasn’t already realised this, Graham Potter will know that the first issue he faces at West Ham is their inability to score goals. Of course, this is exasperated by the absence of both Michail Antonio, Nicklas Fullkrug and Jarrod Bowen. They significantly add value to the attacking threat at West Ham and without them, the Hammers have struggled to put much weight behind their attacking endeavours.
The reality is that West Ham are unpredictable and largely, this has been the root of their problems this season. They can’t afford too many more negative results and will be hoping things change imminently.
Key Players to Watch
- Danny Ings: Ings is no stranger to leading an attacking line, but given the injuries West Ham currently have, they will be hoping he turns back the years. Ings won’t offer too much in terms of pace and running in-behind but given chances he knows how to score…here’s to hoping he finds a few here.
- Tomas Soucek: Soucek is a player with incredible grit and aggressiveness. He has proven to be valuable for West Ham and can dominate the midfield battle for the Hammers. A simple player who takes pride in playing for the badge, he will be important for them.
- Carlos Soler: Soler got an opportunity to start for West Ham and just hasn’t given the chance away. Operating mainly through the middle of the pitch, offering creativity and dynamic movement upfront, he might be the answer to West Ham’s attacking prayers.
West Ham Team News
Jarrod Bowen (broken foot), Emerson (knock), Jean-Clair Todibo (knock), Niclas Fullkrug (hamstring strain) and Michail Antonio (broken leg) are out injured for this game.
Crystal Palace Current Form – LDWDW
Crystal Palace have improved leaps and bounds over the past few weeks – something which has certainly caught our attention ahead of a Crystal Palace prediction! The momentum they have built up is clear and given that in their last 10 league games they have just lost once is indicative of this.
The Eagles have been brilliant going forward and given the threat they pose through players like Jean-Philippe Mateta, there is certainly cause for concern for the Hammers. Home or away Palace have found a way to get a result and when you couple that with the fact that their opponents have attacking deficits, a positive Palace result looks likely.
Key Players to Watch
- Eddie Nketiah: There was a lot said and promised around Nketiah’s arrival at Arsenal, and while it may not have worked out as he would have liked for the Gunners, there have certainly been glimpses for the attacking player at the Eagles.
- Jean-Philippe Mateta: We mentioned him earlier in the piece, but he deserves further attention. He hasn’t always kept his place in the Palace starting XI but as an attacking threat, he can certainly change the game.
- Marc Guehi: Defensively, Guehi has been incredible for Palace, but his ability to get up and down the pitch has been his point of difference. He has become a threat upfront whilst also providing width on attack for the visitors. Keep an eye on him in this encounter – especially given the space inevitably conceded by West Ham.
Crystal Palace Team News
Matheus Franca (groin injury), Adam Wharton (groin injury), Dean Henderson (unknown), Rob Holding (unknown) and Will Hughes (foot injury) are all unavailable for Palace.
Predicted Line-Up
West Ham: 4-2-3-1
Fabianski, Coufal, Mavropanos, Kilman, Wan-Bissaka, Soucek, Alvarez, Kudus, Soler, Paqueta, Ings.
Crystal Palace: 3-4-2-1
Turner, Guehi, Riad, Richards, Clyne, Lerma, Kamada, Munoz, Eze, Sarr, Nketiah.
Suggested Bets
These are our betting strategies and avenues for this game.
Crystal Palace to win: Palace are the more balanced side, especially insofar as attacking outputs are concerned. They have goals in them from all over the pitch and against a placid defensive system in West Ham, we are on the home win. (17/10 with Betway)
Both Teams to Score (No): We still have reservations over the ability of West Ham to score a goal, which inevitably leads us to have a gander on the Both Teams to Score (No) market. (63/50 with Betway)
Crystal Palace Win to Nil: Palace to win without conceding looks to be the play here. combine the above two betting strategies to maximize the value on offer. (4/1 with Betway)
Value Bets
Under 2.5 Goals: Another betting avenue underpinned by the goals market is to back Under 2.5 Goals here. Get stuck in. (51/50 with Betway)
Both Halves Under 1.5 Goals: At the risk of sounding somewhat stagnated, a cagey affair involving a team struggling to find goals suggests this betting market could once again provide the value we want. (17/10 with Betway)
Correct Score 0-2: Back the Eagles to leave the London Stadium with all three points, a clean sheet and a 2-0 win. (14/1 with Betway)
Prediction: Crystal Palace to Win
The attacking threat Palace possesses leads us to think that a positive Crystal Palace prediction looks like this – Palace win! They have such intriguing attacking options and against this West Ham side (new manager bounce and all) we have very little faith. So, there you have it, our West Ham vs Crystal Palace prediction is a Palace win.
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.
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