Can Crystal Palace live up to their role as favourites?

Crystal Palace from the Premier League are naturally favourites in the match against Stoke. The Championship club will need an outstanding day to come out on top against the classier club. Nevertheless, as we have often seen, the cup has its own laws.

In the run-up to the Crystal Palace v Stoke match, the betting odds show that the hosts will naturally go into the game as clear favourites. But the Eagles have also shown games this season in which they did not perform well and had problems. The consistency is missing.

There is a lot to suggest that the hosts will win this game. What matters, though, is what happens on the pitch. And that’s where Stoke could spring a surprise with a good performance and plenty of compactness. Kick-off is on Tuesday at 20:30.

Crystal Palace – Statistics & current form

Crystal Palace are having a decent season in the Premier League and currently sit 11th in England’s top flight. Yes, Patrick Vieira has a decent and, above all, very talented team at his disposal, but forming it into a unit on the pitch is definitely worth highlighting. At the weekend, in the dress rehearsal, there was a 1-1 draw against Burnley.

In the FA Cup, Crystal Palace have so far played Millwall and Hartlepool, two underclass teams, but held their nerve in both duels. Stoke could now be a tougher test; purely individually, the Potters are superior to their previous opponents. In general, the hosts are in good form, having lost only one of their last six competitive matches and that was a home game against Chelsea FC.

The other side of the coin is that there have also only been two wins in that period. Against Hartlepool in the FA Cup and at Watford (4-1) Palace managed to prevail. Nevertheless, 30 points from 27 league games and a place in the last 16 of the more prestigious cup competition is a decent haul so far. Reaching the next round should now be the goal, and financially it would also provide further benefits.

The hosts’ defence is tidy

A good defence can definitely be counted among the points why Crystal Palace are playing a very solid season. The last few weeks illustrate this, as the Eagles have conceded only nine goals in their last seven league games, only conceding more than one against Liverpool. This somewhat conceals the offensive, which was rather weak apart from the dominant victory against Watford.

Generally speaking, the Eagles perform better at home than away from home. Only four of 14 home games in the Premier League were lost, and the points average is more than 0.3 points per game higher than away. That, combined with the difference in class, is one of the reasons why our prediction before the Crystal Palace v Stoke match is that the hosts will win this game.

In order to get the role of the favourites on the pitch, coach Vieira should not rotate too much. Palace don’t have many personnel worries, but the team looked well-rehearsed recently and that should be important in a cup match like this. Only offensively could they do with a bit more impetus, for example by adding a classic centre-forward like Mateta.

Predicted line-up of Crystal Palace:
Guaita – Clyne, Andersen, Guehi, Mitchell – Milivojevic, Gallagher, Schlupp – Olise, Zaha, Mateta

Last matches played by Crystal Palace

Premier League
02/26 2022 – Crystal Palace 1 – 1 Burnley

02/23 2022 – Watford 1 – 4 Crystal Palace

02/19 2022 – Crystal Palace 0 – 1 Chelsea London

02/12 2022 – Brentford 0 – 0 Crystal Palace

02/09 2022 – Norwich 1 – 1 Crystal Palace

Stoke – Statistics & current form

Stoke City certainly had their work cut out for them in the Championship, but the Potters, under manager Martin O’Neill, are one of those sides who clearly underachieve from what should be decent potential. The Potters are only in 15th place and play a very inconsistent season without the really big highlights.

At the weekend, they lost 2-1 at top team Bournemouth and Stoke kept up very well in that game. At the same time, however, this is also a problem: the Potters rarely lose by a large margin, but are unable to turn relatively even games into their own side.

It was noticeable in the last few weeks that the balance was missing. In six of the last seven games involving Stoke, both teams were able to score. For this reason, our value tip before the match between Crystal Palace and Stoke is that more than 2.5 goals will be scored.

Stoke will not play defensively

38 goals conceded by Stoke in 33 games in the Championship, the figure is not ideal. The defensive problems, which occurred especially in the second part of the season completed so far, are also the reason for the drop in the table. Until the 22nd matchday, Stoke were almost continuously in one of the play-off places. Six defeats in the last 13 games, however, are emblematic of the downward slide.

Based on the results of the last few weeks, the approach is almost automatic. If the defence is shaky, it would be anything but wise to rely on it. Therefore, Stoke should rather act offensively and try to cause problems for Crystal Palace. In the EFL Cup, the Potters already beat Watford from the Premier League 3:1, so this approach can work.

However, the quality of the hosts is much higher than it was the case with Watford. Therefore, before the match Crystal Palace vs Stoke our tip is that the hosts win.

Predicted line-up of Stoke:
Bursik – Moore, Harwood-Bellis, Chester – Smith, Baker, Allen, Fox, Vrancic – Campbell, Brown

Last games played by Stoke:

Championship
02/26 2022 – Bournemouth 2 – 1 Stoke

02/23 2022 – Stoke 1 – 2 Luton

02/19 2022 – Stoke 2 – 2 Birmingham

02/12 2022 – Nottingham Forest 2 – 2 Stoke

02/08 2022 – Stoke 3 – 0 Swansea

Crystal Palace – Stoke Direct comparison / H2H record

60 times the two teams have met in a head-to-head clash so far. Crystal Palace have the advantage with 28 wins on their side, Stoke currently stand at 19 games won. Four of the last five games went to the Eagles. With 84:68, the hosts also have an advantage on their own side in terms of goals scored.

Crystal Palace – Stoke Tip

Crystal Palace go into the game as favourites, having at least put in solid performances in recent weeks. The same cannot be said for Stoke, who are teetering in mid-table in the Championship after a very good start.

Overall, there is a lot to be said for the higher club. Therefore, before the match Crystal Palace vs Stoke, our prediction is that the hosts will also win the match.