Crystal Palace V Manchester City Betting Tips: C. Palace +2 (AH) – 19 October 2019

High-flying Palace can frustrate league champions?

Crystal Palace V Manchester City

Saturday 19 October 2019 – 17:30 Kick-Off
English Premier League
Pick: Crystal Palace +2 (Asian Handicap)
Odds: 3/4
Bookmaker: Unibet

1 X 2
47/4 59/10 6/25

* (All betting odds displayed were correct as of 17 October 2019 at 18:00)

Preview: The final Premier League fixture on Saturday could prove unmissable if anything like their encounters last season, which featured plenty of goals as the pair exchanged away victories. Manchester City cannot afford to drop any points here, but Crystal Palace are in good form and should provide the league champions with another challenging assignment at Selhurst Park.

English Premier League Betting – 22Bet

 

Crystal Palace Preview – Will Hodgson have a plan to nullify champions?

Last season, few results reverberated around the Premier League like when Crystal Palace went to The Etihad and scored on three occasions – one of them in particular was an absolute stunner from Andros Townsend – to secure a 3-2 victory. The reverse encounter in South London was, however, of the more routine variety as Palace, who were visibly second-best throughout proceedings, succumbed to their third league defeat in the last four home meetings versus The Citizens (D1 L3), losing 3-1.

Losing at home to Man City seemed to spark Palace into life in the latter stages of 2018/19, subsequently embarking on a four-game unbeaten run (W3 D1) that appears to have carried over into this season. A last-gasp victory away to capital rivals West Ham (1-2) prior to the international break made it two successive league victories and pushed them up into sixth position (W4 D2 L2, GF8 GA8) – only two points behind the league champions.

At home, meanwhile, they are still to suffer defeat in 2019/20 (W2 D2, GF4 GA1). Wolves’ Diego Jota remains the only visiting player to have scored against Roy Hodgson’s side, and that was essentially the last kick of a 1-1 draw that could so easily have been another home win. Jordan Ayew leads the way on three league goals but the direct running of Andros Townsend and Wilfried Zaha could wreak havoc on the counter against a defensively vulnerable Man City side, who Palace would leapfrog were they to clinch victory.

 

Both Teams to Score?
4/5

Bet365

 

Manchester City Preview – Wobbly City simply have to win?

There was once a thinking that being in second place, and thus doing the chasing, wasn’t the end of the world as it meant less pressure compared with the team out in front who knew they had to win every game to remain in the lead. That needn’t apply to Manchester City who, while currently in second, are now under enormous pressure to avoid falling further behind the unrelenting pace of Liverpool, who now lead by eight points.

Man City approach every fixture expecting to win, such is the high standards Pep Guardiola holds his side to. Those standards, though, have started to slip. Losing 2-0 at home to Wolves prior to the international break marking the third occasion that points were dropped in the league (W5 D1 L2, GF27 GA9), as a team still shorn of key defensive personnel were ruthlessly exposed time and again – and not for the first time this season.

Put simply, Man City are well and truly into must win territory. A trip to Crystal Palace should be positive news therefore, in the knowledge they have picked up maximum points on three of their previous four visits in the league. Victories in three of their four away fixtures this season, at West Ham (0-5), Bournemouth (1-3) and Everton (1-3), should also augur well. Although two clean sheets all season clearly demonstrates how fallible they now are from a defensive standpoint.

 

Crystal Palace V Manchester City Key Facts:

  • Crystal Palace are unbeaten in six home Premier League games (W3 D3), since losing 3-1 to Man City in April of last season.
  • Manchester City have won three of four away league games in 2019/20, scoring at least two goals on each occasion.
  • Both meetings were won by the away side in 2018/19, with Man City winning on three of their last four league visits to Selhurst Park (W3 D1).

 

Betting Summary

Crystal Palace are not packed with an abundance of attacking talent, nor do they always play the most exhilarating of football. There are, though, individuals within their ranks with plenty of technical ability, enough to cause some big problems. Their biggest strength, however, rests in a defence that is extremely well-organised and difficult to penetrate. This is especially true at home, where they have conceded only once in four Premier League fixtures thus far.

Manchester City were humbled at home by Wolves last time out but, in fairness, have looked vulnerable for a while now. Even their 3-1 win away to Everton the previous week was hardly convincing; shaky defensively, Man City were reliant on a late free-kick (coupled with some questionable goalkeeping) to break the deadlock and secure a vital win. However, Guardiola will be relieved to have Kevin De Bruyne back in some capacity, though a bigger concern continues to be a lack of reliable options at the back.

The home side are efficient rather than prolific, priding themselves on being very difficult to beat first and foremost. Nevertheless, the Palace attackers should get some joy out of counter-attacking a febrile Man City backline. Crystal Palace are unbeaten at home this season (W2 D2) and tend to keep matters tight, so are a big price to cause further frustration for the league champions. Palace or Draw is 3/1 with PaddyPower.