Both these sides go into this potential six pointer boasting fantastic recent results against some of the league’s finest teams. Last week, Crystal Palace showed great skill and tactical poise to beat Roberto Martinez’s Everton 3-2 at Goodison Park whilst newly promoted Leicester City beat Louis van Gaal’s new-look Manchester United 5-3 in a great thriller which had penalties, goals and red cards all in one. Both clubs have adapted well to new circumstances with Palace clearly suffering no post-Pulis hangover whilst The Foxes have taken to the Premier League like a fish to water with a good pressing and counter attacking gameplan to match their enthusiasm and effort.
Â
Team News
 Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace are fairly healthy when it comes to the early season injury list with just the two injuries to contend with. Marouane Chamakh is a slight doubt for this match with a sore hamstring whilst Stuart O’Keefe continues his recovery from an ankle injury.
 Leicester City
Centre-back Matty Upson is Leicester’s only injury problem heading into this round of fixtures. The ex-England international is suffering from an ankle injury and there is currently no return in sight.
Interesting Facts
-
Perhaps in keeping with their emphasis on set-pieces and counter attacking football, Crystal Palace can only boast a passing accuracy of 70% so far this season.
-
Unsurprisingly, both these sides have netted three set-piece goals each this season.
-
Leicester’s current position of 7th in the league is absolutely deserved. The Foxes have taken five points from matches against Everton, Arsenal and Manchester United so far this season.
- Palace beat Everton at Goodison Park last weekend making it the second time in two seasons that The Eagles have beaten The Toffees 3-2 at Goodison Park.
Key Men
Jason Puncheon
Jason Puncheon enjoyed something of a renaissance last season with the English winger becoming one of the main men for Tony Pulis’ Palace side which ended up well clear from relegation by the time The Eagles came back from 3-0 down to draw 3-3 with title chasing Liverpool. The impressive Puncheon has started this season a little slower but there are glimmers of him returning to last season’s form.
At this stage of the season, Puncheon has completed 71% of his passes which is pretty low (even for an attacking player) but this figure is 1% better off than Palace’s team average so we can forgive him for his scattergun accuracy. Puncheon is doing well in other areas, however.
The former Southampton man has a shot accuracy of 50% which is excellent for an attacking player who expects to shoot often during games. Puncheon’s creativity is also strong with the winger creating seven chances for his teammates so far this season, whilst two of those can be converted into assists. Puncheon could work a little harder going the other way as he’s only completed four defensive actions so far this season including three interceptions and just one clearance.
Palace fans will certainly be hoping the pacey wideman can return to his 13/14 form and this fixture might just be the one to spark the match.
Leonardo Ulloa
Leonardo Ulloa has enjoyed a stunning start to his career as a Premier League footballer. The Argentine striker has already bagged himself five goals with two coming against Manchester United in that 5-3 victory last weekend. The 28 year-old has five goals in five games so far and is one of the in-form players in the division. Ulloa is also boasting one of the most lethal shot accuracy figures in the league with 60% of his shots hitting the target – an exceptional total for a poacher style striker.
Ulloa could do with boosting his chances created figure with the striker forging just three chances for his teammates so far. However, Ulloa is all about goals and who knows, if Ulloa can keep up his goalscoring form then Leicester might be good money for a top half finish – it all depends on whether he can continue this impressive strike rate.
Betting PreviewÂ
Wilf Zaha is back at Crystal Palace and looking to impress.
You can back him to score at anytime with Tailorbet at odds of 4/1 here http://goo.gl/gwj3F1.
Prediction
Leicester are in great form so I would make them favourites for this despite Palace’s extra season in the top flight. However, will the players be as fired up for a match against less fancied rivals? Games against Arsenal, Everton and Manchester United speak for themselves – everyone is fired up and buzzing for the match whereas Palace might present a little less excitement for the Championship champions. I might be belittling the Leicester players’ professionalism but who knows. From the Palace side, they are usually pretty strong at home and they will be a tough nut to crack with their dogged determination in-front of their fervent support. Another prediction I’d back is Wilfred Zaha to score anytime with Tailor Bet. For me, this has 1-1 written all over it, we’ll soon find out.
