Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa Prediction & Tips
What a game we have in prospect here as arguably two of the greatest midfielders in Premier League (PL) history come face-to-face in the dugout for the first time in a competitive game as Patrick Vieira’s Crystal Palace welcome Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa to Selhurst Park. Much like his own tough playing style, Vieira has made Palace incredibly hard to beat as his only two league defeats in charge have come against two of the top-three (W3, D7).
Following the 3-3 draw against Burnley, Vieira will surely ramp up defensive drills after his side conceded their ninth goal from a set-piece last time out, a league high. Even so, Palace remain unbeaten as PL favourites this season (W1, D3) as they are again here, though they’ll hope to turn those draws into wins to push towards a top-half finish.
Gerrard’s Villa took a while to get going but eventually recorded a comfortable 2-0 win to begin his reign and in turn, end their five-game losing run. The directors at Villa Park will be hoping he can continue in that vein as they look to reap dividends from their £100m+ spent over the summer in search of regular European football.
That victory over Brighton confirmed Gerrard as one of only three permanent Villa managers to win their first PL game and the first since the late Gerard Houllier in 2010. However, he has a long way to go in order to match John Gregory’s record of seven straight PL wins to begin a Villa tenure, as he looks to snap a three-game losing stretch on the road!
Players to watch: Palace’s Connor Gallagher has contributed to the most PL goals amongst English midfielders this season (G4, A3). Meanwhile, Ollie Watkins grabbed the first goal of the Gerrard era last time out and he’ll likely be in the thick of the action again here after assisting a goal in both of his prior H2Hs versus Palace.
Hot stat: There was a red card shown in three of the last four H2Hs, two going the way of Villa.
Crystal Palace – Aston Villa FREE TIPS
Aston Villa – Win @ 3.25
Both teams to score / YES @ 1.80
Over 2.5 Goals @ 1.90
