Crystal Palace vs Leicester City
Ending the 2020 year on a high note will be the main priority as Crystal Palace host Leicester City in Selhurst Park on Monday night.
There will be no rest for the weary as these two teams, in fact, have their respective matches tomorrow as of this writing.
Crystal Palace take a short trip to Villa Park to face Aston Villa, whereas Leicester City will host Manchester United at the King Power Stadium.
In terms of the standings, Crystal Palace will have a lot of catching up to do compared to Leicester City.
The Eagles are 13th with only 18 points, while the Foxes aim to close the gap with league leaders Liverpool and they have 27 points good for second place.
Today, let’s examine both of these teams to see how they would fare.
Talking Points
Can Crystal Palace end the year on a high?
Team manager Roy Hodgson continues to have his work cut out for him as his Eagles have yet to find their wings.
They have only won once in their last five, and their results have shown that they are inconsistent at best.
Crystal Palace were drubbed recently by defending champions Liverpool with a 7-0 score as their leaky defence was exploited all night.
They are, in fact, one of the worst teams defencively since they have already given up 25 goals while making 19 of their own.
Ivory Coast international Wilfried Zaha has been the main supplier of goals for the Eagles since he has punched in seven goals and two assists in the last 12 games.
However, the lack of production from his teammates is what’s holding back the Eagles from flying high.
Following Zaha’s total is Christian Benteke, who has only found the back of the net three times, while Jordan Ayew and Andros Townsend have yet to find their shooting boots.
Palace will be desperate to recapture their form during their impressive victories over Manchester United and West Ham United earlier this campaign in order to give their visitors a run for their money.
Leicester City cruising through the grueling schedule
The month of December has provided an unforgiving test for the Foxes schedule-wise, but they are passing with flying colours.
Brendan Rodgers’ side has moved up to second at the table since they have won three of their last four.
One of their most impressive victories lately was the one against Tottenham where they effectively leapfrogged over them at the table.
Jamie Vardy remains the alpha dog for Leicester City and he will be relied upon on to add to his impressive totals of 13 goals and four assists.
With the big fixtures coming in thick and fast, Brendan Rodgers would need to be creative on his selection plan.
However, the good thing for him is that he has more players available in his arsenal and they are slowly regaining their top form.
James Maddison and Wilfred Ndidi are both fit and ready contribute, while the club is optimistic that Ricardo Pereira and Caglar Soyuncu will be available to play soon.
History
The Eagles and the Foxes have played in 31 matches so far.
None of them own the advantage in the overall head-to-heads as both of them have recorded 12 victories each along with seven draws.
Leicester City have owned Crystal Palace in the last two occasions, notching an aggregate tally of 5-0.
The evergreen Jamie Vardy is definitely a marked man for the Eagles’ backline since he has registered three goals in those last two encounters.
But prior to that, the Eagles dominated the Foxes with four consecutive wins, recording an aggregate tally of 13-2.
Betting Tip
 |
 |
Crystal Palace vs Leicester City | Leicester City Asian Handicap -0.50 @ 2.07 |
| December 28, 23:00 (GMT+8) |
For this fixture, the Foxes are favoured to win on the road, albeit via a slim margin.
Leicester City are backed by the Premier League 2020 odds to win at 2.07, while Crystal Palace are priced at 3.55 and a draw is pegged at 3.25 in the 1×2 market.
With their propensity to score goals especially in their recent encounters, going for Over 2.50 @ 2.15 or Total Goal 2-3 @ 1.90 seems viable for other betting alternatives.
The Eagles will be eager for a bounce back, but it will be much easier said than done as they face the in-form Foxes.
And with the Foxes getting almost all of their players back, they should have enough quality and depth to secure their 10th victory of the season.
Continue to tune in here at SBOTOP for your latest Premier League 2020 updates.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| = €20 (Highly confident) |
 = €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
|
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
