Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the English Premier League match.
Crystal Palace have been stuck in the relegation zone for the past three rounds. Another defeat won't help their standing or morale, but stopping a rampant Tottenham Hotspur is a tough task.
Crystal Palace
Before this, Crystal Palace couldn't handle a far more restrained Nottingham Forest, who needed just a routine goal to secure victory. Crystal Palace weren't poor offensively; they matched Nottingham's 20 shots and even had more on target (7-6), hitting the woodwork twice. Despite an xG of 0.97 suggesting they deserved at least one goal, their opponents were more clinical with an xG of 1.76. Nottingham Forest created three big chances, one of which was converted by Chris Wood. If Crystal Palace fail to score with so many attempts, how many do they need?
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur, on the other hand, capitalised on just 1.92 xG to score four goals in their last fixture. West Ham United fell apart within 10 minutes. The 1:1 score turned into 4:1 between the 52nd and 60th minute. The visitors even scored an own goal. In the derby, Dominic Solanke and Brennan Johnson didn't score, but Son Heung-min, returning from injury, did. The team have scored in eight consecutive matches.
Crystal Palace vs Tottenham Hotspur Prediction
The hosts will undoubtedly put up a fight, but their forwards often come up empty (worst in the league), and even their relatively solid defence (conceding 1.4 goals per game) won't be enough. It's also worth noting that Tottenham Hotspur have won their last four encounters against Crystal Palace on home turf. The visitors will find the back of the net.
