Crystal Palace vs. Fulham Odds
| Crystal Palace Odds | +105 |
| Fulham Odds | +250 |
| Draw | +260 |
| Over/Under | 2.5 (-106 / -116) |
| Both Teams to Score (Yes/No) | (-136 / +108) |
| Odds via FanDuel. Get up to the minute soccer odds here. | |
Crystal Palace host Fulham at Selhurst Park on Monday for a Boxing Day London Derby, with the winner likely jumping into the top half of the Premier League table.
The Eagles got off to a slow start to the campaign, but they rattled off four wins in their last seven before the break to jump to 11th.
Meanwhile, the Cottagers have been one of the biggest surprises of the campaign, sitting in ninth with 19 points.
Who doesn’t love a feisty derby in the EPL’s return after the World Cup? This should be a great match with plenty of attacking talent on the field.
Crystal Palace Return Fresh For Premier League Push
One advantage that manager Patrick Vieira will have is that most of his squad was not involved in the World Cup, and the ones that were did not stay long in the competition.
This has given the former Arsenal legend plenty of time to work on the training ground with his team and prepare for this match.
The Eagles are also a much tougher side to crack at home. In the seven games at Selhurst Park, Palace owns a positive xGDiff (+1.0) compared to a -5.3 on the road, according to fbref.com.
Meanwhile, the only losses at home have come against league leaders Arsenal and Chelsea. Vieira’s squad has beaten the smaller sides in Aston Villa, Leeds United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Southampton, a group Fulham likely fall into.
Fulham Dealing With Key Fitness Problems
Manager Marco Silva will be happy with where the club sits in the table going into the New Year. However, he does have multiple injury issues for this first match back.
Leading scorer Aleksandar Mitrović and American Antonee Robinson are both doubts, and they have been mainstays in the starting lineup for the Cottagers.
Obviously, Mitrović is a huge loss. The Serbian striker only trails Erling Haaland, Harry Kane and Ivan Toney in goals on the season with nine, which is over 40% of Fulham’s goal tally.
With Robinson likely out, it could mean that fellow United States National Team member Tim Ream could shift over to left back, which is where he played in a recent friendly.
Crystal Palace vs. Fulham Pick
When I look at the odds, Palace are slated as the moneyline favorite at +105 odds to go along with a total of 2.5 goals. I do like the Eagles at home, but I see better value in the prop market.
My best bet is to back Wilfried Zaha to score or assist at -120.
Like most of the team, Zaha did not participate in the World Cup, meaning he should be well-rested and ready to go.
The Ivory Coast winger leads the Eagles with six goals and has added a pair of assists. He has played a direct role in 57% of his club’s goals this season, and this same bet has cashed in 4-of-7 home fixtures.
He is up against a Fulham defense that is the worst in the Premier League, ranking last in the EPL in xG allowed per 90 minutes (1.82) and big scoring chances surrendered per match (3.53).
The Cottagers have also allowed multiple goals in every away game except for the draw at Wolves.
Once you add in the fact that Ream is likely to play out wide in a back four, Zaha will like his chances of netting a goal in the return to EPL action.
Pick: Wilfried Zaha – To Score or Assist (-120)
