Crisis duel at Selhurst Park!
The Boxing Day 2021 could only be carried out in a weakened form, nevertheless quite a few fans on the island were allowed to make a pilgrimage to the stadiums on Boxing Day. Despite some cancellations, the fans were offered pure spectacle. Especially in the Premier League, there were very high-scoring matches. Boxing Day was not at all successful for two teams that will face each other at Selhurst Park on Tuesday. The match between Crystal Palace and Norwich will kick off there at 4 p.m.
The Eagles conceded an emphatic 3-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspurs in the derby and, to make matters worse, had superstar Wilfried Zaha sent off. The Canaries lost even more heavily than Crystal Palace at home. Against Arsenal, the promoted team was completely lost and went down 0:5. This dismantling certainly contributes to the fact that only odds around 1.60 are offered for the home win between Crystal Palace and Norwich.
Before the direct duel, the Eagles have exactly twice as many points on the credit side and accordingly a role as favourite is quite justified. But without Zaha, is it worth betting on the hosts? This question will be explored in the following lines.
Crystal Palace – Statistics & current form
The efforts were unsuccessful in two senses at Crystal Palace. A few hours before kick-off of the Boxing Day derby against Tottenham Hotspurs, head coach Patrick Vieira (1998 World Cup winner) had to go into quarantine. The Eagles wanted the game to be postponed, but the league did not comply. On the pitch, the game was already decided before the interval whistle – 0:2 down and a man less. Zaha’s dismissal hurts, especially in view of the upcoming clash with relegation candidates Norwich.
Strong form has been lost
This prolonged the negative run of the last few weeks, as four of the last six league games ended in defeat for the Eagles. However, the start of the season was quite promising. After an unsuccessful debut in the derby against Chelsea (3-0 defeat), Vieira’s team conceded only one more defeat between matchday two and twelve, and this one was quite justifiable against Liverpool.
However, Crystal Palace have earned a reputation as the draw kings, having drawn eight of their matches so far this season (a record, along with three other teams). Five of the nine home games in 2021/22 ended in a draw, so predicting a home win between Crystal Palace and Norwich at odds of around 1.60 seems to be a risky proposition.
Compared to the last two years under old coach Roy Hodgson, Crystal Palace’s record after 18 matchdays is three points worse. The football has become much more attractive – which was not exactly difficult given the ultra-defensive style of play before – but by no means more successful.
Predicted line-up of Crystal Palace:
Butland – Ferguson, Guehi, Andersen, Ward – Hughes, Kouyate, Gallagher – Mateta, Edouard, Ayew
Last matches played by Crystal Palace:
Premier League
12/26 2021 – Tottenham 3 – 0 Crystal Palace
12/15 2021 – Crystal Palace 2 – 2 Southampton
12/12 2021 – Crystal Palace 3 – 1 Everton
12/05 2021 – Manchester United 1 – 0 Crystal Palace
11/30 2021 – Leeds 1 – 0 Crystal Palace
Norwich – Statistics & current form
Was it the right decision? Hours after the first win of the season, the coaching change was made and Daniel Farke was relieved of his duties. At first, successor Dean Smith seemed to be able to prolong the upward trend and collected five points from the first three PL games. There was a little hope that they would not have to accept direct relegation again.
Four defeats in a row without a goal
The positive feeling is already a thing of the past, however, as the Canaries have been brought back down to earth in recent days. Instead of continuing to move in the direction of the save shore, they suffered four defeats in a row. Smith’s side failed to score against Tottenham, Manchester United, Smith’s former club Aston Villa and Arsenal.
Not an easy draw, but there was no sign of emerging form. In particular, in the 0-5 Boxing Day defeat to Arsenal, the hosts presented no chance at all (3-11 shots, 2-8 shots on goal, 36-64 per cent possession). With just eight goals, the promoted team continues to have the weakest attack in the Premier League.
Reaction is required
Losing to a resurgent Gunners is certainly not a deal breaker, but it was the manner that pissed off the players themselves. Kenny McLean did not mince his words and demanded a completely different face from the team.
Compared to Crystal Palace, Norwich is certainly not the better team in terms of quality, but the difference is not really that great. With goal ace Pukki (he scored five of the eight goals) or top talents like Max Aarons, Todd Cantwell, Billy Gilmour and veterans McLean, Gibson and Lees-Melou, the bottom team also has enough quality to offer.
After the difficult last few games, they now face a team that is more or less on a par with them. It will be all the more important to be able to score again in the last game of 2021. Despite the negative run, the chances of the visitors winning a point in the Crystal Palace vs. Norwich clash are better than the odds would suggest. Only slight advantages can be heard for the home side, who are short of replacements.
Predicted line-up of Norwich:
Gunn – Aarons, Kabak, Gibson, Williams – Lees-Melou, Gilmour, McLean – Cantwell , Pukki, Sargent
Last matches played by Norwich:
Premier League
12/26 2021 – Norwich 0 – 5 Arsenal London
12/14 2021 – Norwich 0 – 2 Aston Villa
12/11 2021 – Norwich 0 – 1 Manchester United
12/05 2021 – Tottenham 3 – 0 Norwich
11/30 2021 – Newcastle United 1 – 1 Norwich
Crystal Palace – Norwich Direct Comparison / H2H Record
Norwich City have played in the London Borough of Selhurst a total of 35 times and have only managed to return home victorious seven times. And yet Norwich have a positive away record at Selhurst Park in the English football top flight. There have only been twelve such games in the top division, five of which Norwich have won. Crystal Palace, on the other hand, have only celebrated four home victories – including in their last meeting in 2019/20 (2-0).
Crystal Palace – Norwich Tip
Due to the countless postponements in this Premier League season, looking at the table should always be taken with a grain of salt. However, this game can be a trend-setting match, especially for the visitors. The rescue bank still seems to be in sight, but two of the three direct competitors have two or three catch-up games to play respectively.
That makes it all the more important to get back on track. The short upward trend was recently halted by the difficult fixture list, but now points are urgently needed. In the away game in Selhurst, the bottom team is naturally considered the underdog. But the home side are not in a good shape themselves and have to do without their best player.
Therefore, betting on a surprise between Crystal Palace and Norwich seems to be worthwhile. The Double Chance X2 is the best option in terms of potential output and risk.
