Who will win the first London derby of the New Year?

There’s a London derby to watch in the Premier League right on New Year’s Day! Crystal Palace, thoroughly plagued by injuries and Covid-19 of late, host West Ham United. The visitors have been able to take steps forward again recently, and are in a very good position anyway.

The good season of the Hammers also ensures that the odds before the game Crystal Palace against West Ham point to a favourite role for the visitors. However, this is not set in stone, as there have been a few slip-ups in recent weeks.

Crystal Palace – Statistics & current form

It was a liberating blow for Crystal Palace against Norwich on Tuesday. The Eagles dispatched the Premier League’s bottom side 3-0 and celebrated an immensely important victory after a difficult period. The home win catapulted Palace to tenth place in the league, although of course it should be noted that the table is not entirely meaningful due to the many match cancellations.

One of the main reasons why the hosts are in a safe mid-table position is their home record. The Eagles have won four of their five matches this season at home, scoring twice as many goals as they have conceded. Away from home, it is exactly the other way round. Despite all this, the odds from the best bookmakers are pointing to the visitors as favourites ahead of the Crystal Palace v West Ham match.

This is partly due to the fact that the hosts have had to deal with personnel problems recently. Like almost every team in England, Crystal Palace had to do without players due to Covid cases. Against Southampton (2:2) it went reasonably well, against Tottenham (0:3) the team took its toll on the strain.

Crystal Palace: A question of strength

Many coaches in England want five substitutions to be allowed again. Because even after overcoming an infection, some players are permanently weakened and cannot play to their full potential. Fortunately, the Eagles no longer have to do without many players and are at least in a good situation in that respect.

27 goals from 19 games are also a good value. Recently, even ex-Mainzer Mateta, who did not function particularly well for a long time, scored. Wilfried Zaha also returns after his yellow-red suspension, which gives the hosts one more option.

Due to the high workload and the many imponderables, many teams in the Premier League are currently on the road with less balance. More goals are falling, which is one reason why ahead of the Crystal Palace vs West Ham game, our prediction is that both teams will score at least one.

Predicted line-up of Crystal Palace:
Guaita – Clyde, Andersen, Guehi, Mitchell – Milivojevic, Kouyaté, Gallager, Olise, Zaha – Edouard

Last matches played by Crystal Palace:

Premier League
12/28 2021 – Crystal Palace 3 – 0 Norwich

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

West Ham – Statistics & current form

For a long time, West Ham were even sensationally on course for the Champions League this season. At least that has changed a little in recent weeks. Nevertheless, the team of coach David Moyes is in a very good position, only four points behind fourth place. But teams like Tottenham and Manchester United, who have played fewer games, are pressing from behind.

A brief interim low recently set West Ham back a little. They only managed one point against Burnley, Arsenal and Southampton. The team was also shaky at first against Watford, but got back on its feet and ended the negative streak with a 4:1 win. Nevertheless, two wins from the last eight games make the record pale somewhat.

The problem is mainly defensive. West Ham has become more vulnerable again recently, only playing one of the last ten league games to zero. Something has to change here as soon as possible, because the offensive can’t always take care of everything. It should be noted, however, that 34 goals are the fourth-best figure in absolute terms. As I said, the statistics are somewhat distorted due to the different number of games played.

West Ham get more points away from home

It is interesting to note that West Ham have won five of their nine games away from home this season and generally have a better points average there as well. This could be an indicator for the role of the favourites, because in terms of form both clubs do not give each other much at the moment. A factor that will be interesting in the next week is also the burden on the visitors. West Ham still have international games to play and a relatively small squad.

In any case, the defensive problems could drag on a little further through the season, because with Ogbonna and Zouma, two important players in the defensive area are currently absent. On top of that, the team will have to rotate. Nevertheless, the visitors looked very structured and improved at Watford. That’s why our value tip before the match between Crystal Palace and West Ham is that the visitors will win the match.

Predicted West Ham line-up:
Fabianski – Coufal, Diop, Dawson, Masuaku – Rice, Soucek, Vlasic, Fornals, Bowen – Antonio

Last matches played by West Ham:

Premier League
12/28 2021 – Watford 1 – 4 West Ham

12/26 2021 – West Ham 2 – 3 Southampton

Carabao Cup
12/22 2021 – Tottenham 2 – 1 West Ham

Premier League
12/15 2021 – Arsenal London 2 – 0 West Ham

12/12 2021 – Burnley 0 – 0 West Ham

Crystal Palace – West Ham Direct Comparison / H2H Record

In 44 games these two teams have faced each other and the direct comparison is relatively clear in favour of West Ham. The Hammers won 19 games, only eight times Crystal Palace were victorious. West Ham have played their last three games against this opponent without defeat, with the first leg ending 2-2.

Crystal Palace – West Ham betting tip

Crystal Palace have recently manoeuvred themselves into a better situation with victory against Norwich and are mid-table in the Premier League. The team knows how to please at home this season, which is why the chances of a surprise are not that bad.

Considering the circumstances, especially the pressure and balance of both teams, our tip before the match between Crystal Palace and West Ham is that both teams will score.