English Premier League is Back!
The second week of English Premier League action features one London derby which will take place at White Hart Lane on Saturday, August 20th where Tottenham Hotspur will be hosting Crystal Palace. Spurs drew their season opener at Goodison Park in Liverpool with Everton last weekend while Palace lost at home to West Bromwich Albion.
Tottenham Hotspur vs Crystal Palace – Bovada Soccer Betting Line:
- Spread: Tottenham Hotspur -1 (-140), Crystal Palace +1 (+115)
- Money Line: Tottenham -230, Crystal Palace +600, Draw +350
- Goals Scored: 2.5, Over -115, Under -105
Tottenham Hotspur vs Crystal Palace – Head to Head:
These two teams last met in the FA Cup in February with Palace winning 1-0 on the road They also met twice in the Premier League with Spurs winning 3-1 at Selhurst Park in January after beating Palace 1-0 at home in September. The clubs have met just 48 times in the past with Tottenham winning 24, losing 11 and drawing the other 13. Palace has just three wins in the last 11 encounters with six defeats and a pair of draws.
Tottenham Hotspur – A Closer Look:
Tottenham drew 1-1 with Everton at Goodison Park last Saturday. Argentine winger Erik Lamela leveled the score in the 59th minute after Everton international midfielder Ross Barkley opened the scoring for the home side after just five minutes. Tottenham lost French international goaltender and squad captain Hugo Lloris in the 35th minute with a torn hamstring and he was replaced by Michel Vorm of Holland. Lloris is expected to be out of action for about a month. Tottenham held onto second place in the Premier League last season, but a couple of late-campaign defeats saw them fall to third place.
They had 70 points from 19 wins, 13 draws and six losses while scoring 69 goals and conceding 35. Manager Mauricio Pochettino acquired a couple of players in the summer transfer window as they signed Victor Wanyama from Southampton and Vincent Janssen from AZ Alkmaar. English international striker Harry Kane led the club and league in scoring last year with 25 goals and newcomer Janssen is expected to help him out this year. Midfielder Heung-Min Son will miss the game as he’s playing in the summer Olympics while defender Jan Vertonghen is questionable due to injury and midfielder Mousa Dembele is suspended.
Crystal Palace – A Closer Look:
Crystal Palace had a disappointing season in 2015/16 as they finished in 15th-place in the 20-team Premier League. They managed to win just 11 of their 38 games while drawing nine and losing 18 for 42 points. They found the back of the net just 39 times and allowed 51 goals against. Palace finished only five points ahead of the relegation zone and 39 points back of league champions Leicester City. They started this season in the same manner with a 1-0 loss at home at Selhurst Park last week to West Brom. Manager Alan Pardew obviously wasn’t happy with his team’s performance last campaign even though they reached the FA Cup Final, which they lost to Manchester United.
Pardew cleaned house in the summer and brought in a few new players. The club acquired Andros Townsend from Newcastle United, Steve Mandanda from Marseille and James Tomkins from West Ham United. Those who were shipped out include Emmanuel Adebayor, Marouane Chamakh, Brede Hangeland, Adrian Mariappa, Patrick McCarthy, Dwight Gayle, Jake Gray, Alex McCarthy, Jerome Binnom-Williams, Yannick Bolasie and Mile Jedinak. On the injury front, midfielder Jonathan Williams and defender James Tomkins are expected to miss the game while midfielder Bakary Sako and forward Fraizer Campbell are questionable.
Tottenham Hotspur vs Crystal Palace – Takeaway:
Crystal Palace needs to earn some points after making wholesale changes in the summer while Spurs need to prove last season wasn’t just luck.
by Ian S. Palmer