EPL Odds: Can Palace Slay Another Giant vs. Spurs?
Crystal Palace (+450) vs. Tottenham (-150), Draw (+320)
The title race is alive and well for Tottenham (21-8-3, 21 points), but they’ll have to close the season perfectly if they’re going to catch Chelsea. Their next challenge is an away game against mid-table Crystal Palace (11-5-7, 38 points), who have made a mockery of the top teams in recent matches. The two clubs meet this Wednesday, April 26th.
If we only look at the latter half of the 2016-17 season, then there’s no team better than Tottenham in the English Premier League. When it comes to league games, they’re currently on a seven-game winning streak and have lost just one of their last 17 matches.
Compare that to Chelsea, who have lost two of their last four league games. Their most recent defeat was to Manchester United (2-0), and previously to, wait for it, Crystal Palace (1-2).
That’s right, Crystal Palace ended Chelsea’s twelve-game unbeaten run. And before we write that off as a fluke, let’s take a look at what else they’ve accomplished since: a 3-0 thrashing against Arsenal and a 2-1 win this week against Liverpool.
It’s been a wild few weeks for Palace, who just a couple months earlier were drowning in the relegation zone. What brought about such a drastic change?
Well, I think most of the credit should go to former England manager Sam Allardyce, who was hired on in December to revive the ailing club. After a few key signings over the transfer window and a much-needed restructuring, the Palace side improved by leaps and bounds.
Also, Crystal Palace’s success has depended on the brilliant but inconsistent Christian Benteke. At his best, he’s one of the most threatening strikers in the league. But when his form drops, well, just look at his season last year at Liverpool.
Tottenham are in spectacular form at the moment, no doubt. But by putting Crystal Palace at +450, bookmakers are underestimating their current chemistry and ignoring their recent record against the top teams. There may be money to be made here if you’re willing to stomach the risk. I think Crystal Palace is worth a pick.
Pick: Crystal Palace (+450)
Don Aguero is a man of many talents, writing about nearly anything you can put odds to. Don has been writing for SportsBettingDime since 2015, covering sports, entertainment and politics. You name it, he's covered it! He is also a steadfast West Ham fan, and has learned to embrace that suffering.
