After losing to big names like Arsenal, Manchester United, West Ham and Chelsea this season, Spurs managed to pick up a valuable point when they hosted Liverpool last weekend. This was the first time since the opening day of the season that they managed to avoid defeat at the hands of a big name and their draw with Liverpool will certainly go down as one of the better results of the season. Tottenham are still outside the Top 4 in seventh place, but with as many as three games in hand they can certainly not be disregarded for a place in Europe next season. Despite the recent Covid outbreak in the team Antonio Conte appears to have found his groove at the club and has now put together an unbeaten run of five EPL matches. His side got revenge against West Ham on Wednesday night in the EFL Cup quarter-final with a 2-1 win as well and they will no doubt have their tails up as they head into their clash on Sunday. Goalscoring has been slow for Spurs throughout the majority of the season but they have managed to score at least two goals per match in their last four EPL clashes which could suggest that after nearly half the season the attack has finally found their footing.
It’s been an up and down season for the Eagles and despite picking up points against the likes of Manchester City, Leicester, Everton and Spurs in the reverse fixture they find themselves outside the Top 10 in 11th place with 20 points. Patrick Vieira’s men have unfortunately been guilty of failing to close out many of their games which has seen them having to settle for a single point instead of three and ruining their chances of getting close to the Top 5. It’s a pity because their attack has been quite impressive with 24 goals this season. It’s far from the best but still better than the likes of Wolves and Spurs who are higher than them on the table. Unfortunately their defense has leaked just as many goals as the team has scored this season and this has been their downfall. They have now failed to keep a clean sheet in their last six EPL matches and Vieira would surely be reeling at the fact that they gave up cheap points against the likes of Burnley, Aston Villa and Southampton. Crystal Palace have managed to avoid defeat in their last two matches since their three match losing streak and they will no doubt be looking to stretch that to a third match and pull off a season double against Tottenham.
Tottenham narrowly leads the head-to-head between the teams in their last five EPL clashes with two wins, while Crystal Palace have won once and the other two matches ended in a draw. The last time they met was in September this year at Selhurst Park where Crystal Palace completely dominated on the day with a 3-0 win. The last match at London Stadium was in March this year and saw Spurs winning 4-1 comfortably which included a Harry Kane double. Three out of the last five matches between the sides have seen both teams finding the net as well as over 2.5 goals.
Prediction
Crystal Palace appear to have turned things around since their mid-November slump, but they were unable to dodge the Covid blues last weekend and one has to wonder if they are going to be a bit rusty when they take the field again on Sunday for the first time in over a week. In addition to the lack of playing time their defense has also leaked plenty of goals in their recent matches and it appears to be an ongoing problem for the Eagles. Spurs on the other hand have remained impressive despite a few setbacks and really look like they finally have their attack in order. Their win on Wednesday night was a massive confidence booster and I fancy them to continue riding their wave on Sunday at London Stadium. With four wins in their last six EPL matches at home Conte’s men are looking really solid on home turf and when you also consider the fact that Spurs have won their last five EPL matches at London Stadium against Crystal Palace it’s difficult to back any other result than a Tottenham win. Right now you can get around 1.75 for a Spurs win which is not too shabby, while over 2.5 goals also catches my eye at just under even money. Unless the Eagles have fixed their defensive issues I can easily see at least three goals in this match. Harry Kane seems to have finally stepped up with his goal against the Reds last week and he also managed a double the last time he faced Crystal Palace at London Stadium so I am willing to bet on him to score in the match.
BetOlimp Best Bets
Tottenham to win – 1.76
Total Goals: Total 2.5 over – 1.94
Anytime Goalscorer: Harry Kane – 1.99