Spurs vs Crystal Palace is just one of a number of hugely-anticipated Boxing Day matches in the Premier League. We’ve looked at a head to this fascinating festive fixture at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Head to Head:
Although Crystal Palace won the last meeting between these two sides back in September, the Eagles don’t have a particularly good record in North London. The South Londoners have been defeated in each of their last five away visits to Spurs and have failed to find the net in four of those five meetings.
Last 5 meetings:
Sep 11th 2021 – Crystal Palace 3-0 Spurs
March 7th 2021 – Spurs 4-1 Crystal Palace
December 13th 2020 – Crystal Palace 1-1 Spurs
July 26th 2020 – Crystal Palace 1-1 Spurs
September 19th 2019 – Spurs 4-0 Spurs
Spurs:
It’s been a fairly underwhelming start to the season for Spurs who currently sit seventh in the Premier League table. However, the arrival of Antonio Conte has seemingly given the players a fresh impetus and the Italian’s high standards and intensive approach to training is clearly starting to pay off.
They’ve won three of their first four Premier League matches under the former Inter coach and managed to net seven times in those contests. As a result of their recent upturn in form, Spurs are likely to be priced up as odds-on favourites for this clash. The English top-flight is one of the most popular competitions in the world and there is always plenty of interest when it comes to placing bets on Premier League fixtures. There are lots of new betting sites offering punters the chance to wager on a wide variety of different markets including cards and corners and bettors who sign up for an account with bet365 Ireland are now able to create a single match accumulator for this game using tools such as Bet Builder.
Had the chances to sign off from the league for Christmas with a win but wasn’t meant to be. A good performance and great to be back out there 💪 pic.twitter.com/lcTl3WywsN
— Harry Kane (@HKane) December 19, 2021
The hosts have suffered just two home defeats this season, both of which came under the previous regime. They failed to find the net in each of those two losses.
Harry Kane hasn’t had the most productive start to the 2021-22 campaign, however, the England captain has netted in two of his last three appearances against this opposition.
Son Heung-Min is the club’s top goal-scorer with the Korean having netted six times in his first 13 appearances. He is also averaging 2.4 shots per game and with 1.8 key passes per game, he could be a key weapon during the festive period.
Crystal Palace:
Crystal Palace fans can be relatively happy with their side’s progress so far. The Eagles appointed Patrick Vieira at the beginning of the season and the Frenchman has guided his new club to the relative safety of mid-table.
Although Palace’s form has been a little hit and miss, the club undoubtedly required a fresh start after things went a little stale under Roy Hodgson.
Two goals vs. Everton today. Six goals, three assists on the season.
Chelsea loanee Conor Gallagher is making his mark at Crystal Palace 🌟 pic.twitter.com/dxPGyNgI1u
— B/R Football (@brfootball) December 12, 2021
The Eagles have picked up the majority of their points at home so far this season and across their first 16 PL matches, they’ve averaged 1.63 points per game at Selhurst Park. Away from home, they’ve managed just a single victory which curiously came at the Etihad Stadium. They’ve failed to find the net in four of their opening eight away matches.
Although Palace made a number of interesting summer signings, Chelsea loanee Conor Gallagher has arguably made the biggest impact in South London. He’s scored six times and registered three assists in his first 15 appearances and is currently averaging 2.3 shots per game. The club’s top goalscorer has been described as a ‘manager’s dream’ by Patrick Vieira and is likely to be a constant danger throughout the 90 minutes.
Prediction:
Although Palace eased to victory when the two sides met three months ago, Spurs are a completely different prospect under Antonio Conte and should be able to collect maximum points on Boxing Day.
The visitors don’t score too many on the road, however, they have a number of dangerous players who are capable of causing problems for the Spurs defence.
Spurs should benefit from their postponements at the beginning of December and could potentially be fresher for this tie.
Prediction: Spurs 2-1 Crystal Palace
