While Crystal Palace and West Ham United have seen results improve over the last few weeks, neither side is quite safe from Premier League soccer relegation just yet. Both teams need the win and Saturday’s London derby (7.30am ET; 12.30pm BST) could be one of the more tense games of the weekend.
Coming into the match, Palace sit in 12th place on 37 points and are now eight points away from the drop zone. West Ham United, in 14th, are closer to the bottom three, but neither team will feel that they are completely safe. A win on Saturday will go a long way towards ensuring a Premier League place for next season, but who will get over the line? This preview, with its betting predictions and picks, plans to answer that.
This is a tight result market with some of the best sportsbooks offering the same win odds on Crystal Palace and West Ham. Elsewhere, Palace are very narrow favorites. You can currently claim the home win at 17/10, while victory for West Ham is on offer at best industry odds of 7/4. The draw completes the match betting at 11/5.
Both sides were in action in midweek. On Tuesday, Crystal Palace lost 2-0 away to fellow strugglers Wolves, a result which ended a positive run of form for Roy Hodgson’s men. The Eagles have now claimed ten points from their last six league matches.
A day later, West Ham faced a tough fixture at home to Liverpool and eventually went down by a narrow 1-2 margin. The Hammers had a goal chalked off under the VAR system, and would have felt unlucky not to come away with a point. As it is, David Moyes’ side have also taken ten points from their last six.
The form guide is as close as the match result market, so who are the players who can split these teams?
Two joint favorites lead the way in the first goalscorer betting and they feature players from either side. Crystal Palace’s Odsonne Edouard and West Ham’s Danny Ings lead the way with both men available at best odds of 13/2.
Edouard has just four goals in 30 league games this season and that return tends to sum up the Eagles’ season. Ings joined from Aston Villa in January and has two EPL goals in 12 games for the Hammers so far.
Behind the market leaders, other options to score the first goal include Michail Antonio at a best of 8/1, Jarrod Bowen at 8/1 and Said Benrahma at 10/1.
Keen-eyed readers will have noted the absence of Wilfried Zaha. The Palace forward is out through injury and that will affect the Eagles in front of goal this Saturday.
This CPFC vs WHUFC preview will switch from focusing on the players and will now take a look at the rest of our regular side bets. Both Teams to Score is on offer at 19/10. If you prefer the ‘no’ bet on BTTS, this is currently listed at best odds of 9/10.
Next is the Total Combined Goals market where a stake above the 2.5 line will currently be met at 13/10. If we want to push that up one notch, Over 3.5 goals is available this time at 7/2. Those expecting a quiet and defensive 90 minutes could opt for Under 2.5 goals which is listed at 4/7.
This preview concludes with some Correct Score options: The suggestion from those match betting odds is that we may be in for a tight low scoring game, and the 1-1 draw will attract interest at a best of 11/2. A 2-1 win for the home side Crystal Palace is quoted at a top price of 11/1, while the same scoreline in favor of West Ham can also be backed at those best odds of 11/1.
Our Preview’s CPFC vs WHU Predictions & Betting Picks Verdict
It could certainly be as tight as the match market suggests. Crystal Palace have improved under their new manager. West Ham remain inconsistent while picking up just enough points to keep clear of the bottom three.
In terms of side markets, the bookmakers are clearly expecting a quiet afternoon at Selhurst Park. It is rare for the Over 2.5 goal bet to climb above evens, while we don’t often see odds-on figures for the ‘no’ option on Both Teams to Score.
Crystal Palace’s issues in front of goal contributed to the firing of former manager Patrick Vieira. Since Roy Hodgson took over, things have improved slightly, but we suspect that the injury to Wilfried Zaha will hand the advantage to the away side.
For our betting predictions, West Ham United to win on the moneyline leads the picks. The Hammers are not the most reliable team now, but they were unlucky against a resurgent Liverpool and should have the quality to come through against a much weaker Crystal Palace.
Over 3.5 goals is the second betting tip. It may need a goal-shy Palace to find the net, but it is good value at 7/2 as we think that West Ham may well put on a productive attacking display at Selhurst Park. So these are the picks and betting predictions for this CPFC vs WHU matchup preview:
- West Ham to win on the moneyline at best odds of +182 with BetOnline.
- Over 3.5 Goals at +330 with Bovada. Next best is +325 with BetOnline and then +320 with EveryGame.
Matt Harris is a golf and soccer expert for USA Betting. His other area of specialist knowledge is cricket. He is well known in sports journalism and contributes articles to a plethora of big-name websites and media outlets. Titles that he writes or has written for include: Betfair, BetVictor, Unibet & Just Bookies.