Do Spurs remain Christmas specialists?

Fascination Boxing Day! This coming Sunday, it’s that time of year again. On Boxing Day, a regular Premier League matchday is traditionally on the agenda on the island. Among other things, we can also look forward to a London derby, although with Tottenham and Crystal Palace – at least this season – no capital city teams from the top sporting shelf are facing each other.

While the visitors from south London can certainly live with their current eleventh place and are probably very satisfied with only five defeats from 17 games, the assessment of the Spurs season so far is subject to a far more negative mood. However, after recent improved performances under new manager Antonio Conte, it is understandable that lower odds are being offered on the home treble between Tottenham and Crystal Palace.

The Lilywhites might also have bad memories of the first meeting in the current PL season, which the Eagles won 3-0 at home. For the first time in the club’s history, Palace could now manage to win the first and second legs in the same season.

But it will be a tough task, especially as the visitors have not won at Spurs since 1997. Consequently, it takes quite a bit of imagination to predict an away win in the Tottenham vs Crystal Palace clash.

Tottenham – Statistics & current form

26 points are on the books for Tottenham Hotspur Football Club after 15 games played. What at first glance looks like a poor return – compared to their own expectations – is not as disappointing as many might think on closer inspection.

If Antonio Conte’s team were to win all three of their remaining matches, which they currently have fewer than the top four, they would climb up to fourth place, just three points behind third-placed Chelsea.

Does Conte extend his starting record?

The Lilywhites owe their promising starting position primarily to their new coach. Since Conte took the reins in the capital, Spurs have not lost any of their five Premier League matches. Thanks to three wins and two draws, the Italian has made a remarkable start as Tottenham coach. Should Tottenham remain unbeaten on Boxing Day, Conte would become only the third manager in the club’s history, after Jaques Santini and Tim Sherwood, to go without a defeat in his first six league games.

The chances of a good result and a successful Tottenham vs. Crystal Palace betting on Boxing Day are pretty good, as Spurs have not lost on Boxing Day for 14 consecutive games. Eleven of these 14 matches have even been won. No other club from the top four divisions in the country can currently look back on such a long series.

Kane can be relied on at Christmas

Apart from that, the North Londoners have been fairly consistent this season, especially at home. Six of their eight victories have come at home. Harry Kane and Co. have picked up an impressive ten points from their last four home games. Only last weekend against the strong Liverpool team did Spurs have to settle for a 2-2 draw.

Speaking of Harry Kane: The captain of the English national team loves to do his job at Christmas. Only former Reds striker Robbie Fowler (nine) has scored more goals than the Spurs attacker (eight) in Boxing Day history. Between Tottenham and Crystal Palace, the odds on Kane scoring are therefore also very interesting.

Predicted Tottenham line-up:
Lloris – Reguilon, Dier, Davies, Sanchez, Emerson – Alli, Winks, Ndombele – Kane, Son

Last matches played by Tottenham:

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

Premier League
12/19 2021 – Tottenham 2 – 2 Liverpool FC

European Conference League Grp. G
12/09 2021 – Tottenham 0 – 3 Rennes

Premier League
12/05 2021 – Tottenham 3 – 0 Norwich

12/02 2021 – Tottenham 2 – 0 Brentford

Crystal Palace – Statistics & current form

After a very solid start to the season with just two defeats (against Liverpool and Chelsea) in the first twelve matchdays, Crystal Palace’s form curve has not necessarily been pointing in the right direction recently.

Three of their five defeats this season have come in the last five Premier League games. As a result, the Londoners have dropped to eleventh in the league table, but with a nine-point lead over the first relegation place, they can still go into the next games without any worries.

Palace away with only one point from the last three games

The fact that coach Patrick Vieira’s side are not ranked higher can be attributed in part to the fact that almost half of all matches played have ended in draws. With eight draws, the capital cities – together with Burnley and Brighton – are the draw kings of the league. Another stain is the disappointing record away from home, where they have only managed six points in eight games. Four of the aforementioned five defeats took place in opposing stadiums.

To make matters worse, the “Crystal Palace” has won only one of the past six league games on Boxing Day. The poor record in visiting matches in the north London borough of Haringey also does not provide a valid argument to make a prediction on the away team before the Tottenham v Crystal Palace match. One of the few glimmers of hope, however, is the fact that the Eagles have not lost any of the four most recent derbies in the capital.

Given their recent performances and the often unstable defence, which has conceded 24 goals in the last six matches, we believe that a home win is by far the most likely outcome. And that’s even though Patrick Vieira, as coach and player, has left the pitch victorious in all of his eight Boxing Day matches….

Predicted line-up of Crystal Palace:
Butland – Mitchell, Guehi, Tomkins, Ward – Hughes, Gallagher, Kouyaté – Zaha, Edouard, Ayew

Last matches played by Crystal Palace:

Premier League
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

11/27 2021 – Crystal Palace 1 – 2 Aston Villa

Tottenham – Crystal Palace Direct Comparison / H2H Balance

43 matches have been played between the two teams so far in the top flight of English football. Tottenham have won 24 of those 43 matches, while Crystal Palace have only come out on top on seven occasions. In front of their home crowd, Spurs have won twelve, drawn six and lost only three. In fact, in the past twelve PL home games in north London, only one has been lost (seven wins, four draws). The last six direct duels in front of the home crowd have all ended with a Tottenham treble.

Tottenham – Crystal Palace Tip

Six points separate Spurs and the Eagles in the table at the moment. While the visitors from the south of the capital have already played 17 games and still have “only” 20 points, Spurs have 26 points after 15 games. This is one of the reasons why Tottenham are favoured against Crystal Palace according to the betting odds.

Conte’s side have picked up eleven points from a possible 15 in their last five games. In contrast, the south Londoners have suffered three of their five defeats in the past five matches. In terms of form, the home side clearly have the advantage, having not lost on Boxing Day for 14 games in a row.

Because Spurs are even stronger at home than away and the Eagles have not been particularly promising away from home recently, we think Harry Kane and Co. will be celebrating a home win on Sunday afternoon.