English Premier League Festive Fixtures Preview and Betting Tips

In Charles Meshell
Fri, Dec 21st, 2018 11:18:38 pm
By Charles Meshell - ROI Capper

The festive fixtures continue in the English Premier League, as ROI Capper takes a closer look at matches including Manchester City vs Crystal Palace and much more.

English Premier League Festive Fixtures

The first official day of the EPL's festive fixtures began on Friday night, when league leaders Liverpool padded their lead atop the Premiership, with a convincing 0-2 victory over a newly promoted Wolves side.

The Premier League will now play 39 matches over the next 13 days, with the opportunity for each club to make a significant jump in the standings, the next two weeks are crucial too each teams long terms goals.

Manchester City vs Crystal Palace
Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England
12-22-2018 - 10:00 am ET - NBC-SN

The gauntlet was laid down in Friday night when the Reds claimed another 3 points, now the defending champs are obligated to match their bitter rivals result, if they plan on keeping pace in the race for this season's Premier League title.

Manchester City have seen there lead atop the EPL standings slip away, now currently 4 points off the pace in defense of their title, the hosts have no room for error as Match Day 18 continues play on Saturday afternoon.

Pep Guardiola is no stranger to title races, the Spanish master-mind has captured 7 league titles throughout his time on the sidelines, now with his eye on yet another domestic championship, the famed tactitioner is far from done in his quest of England's top trophy.

Key Figure

The Citizens possess a plethora of world class talent throughout their normal rotation, but the presence of Kevin De Bruyne within the clubs starting eleven cannot be understated. The creative midfielder made his first meaningful minutes during this weeks EFL Cup competition, after being sidelined with injuries for much of the season. The Belgium seems set to play a large role during Saturday's fixture, De Bruyne's on pitch awareness is unmatched throughout Europe, able to create instant offense with an array of crosses, through balls and pin-point passing he simply takes this teams attack too a new level, throw in his ability to hit the back of the net from limit-less range, he is a true weapon for this Man City side.

Citizens Danger Men

The hosts are pure magic when moving forward at full force, aligned within a 4-3-3 formation for much of the season, the combination of LeRoy Sane, Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus and the teams all-time leading scorer Sergio Aguerro have simply overwhelmed their opponents while in front of goal. Pep's tally's men have accounted for 26 Premier League goals to start the new campaign, with a blend of pace, power and a keen eye for goal, this a favorable matchup for all involved.

Team Injuries

The hosts have been ravished with injuries through the first quarter of the new campaign. Benjamin Mendy, Claudio Bravo and Eliaquim Mangala have all been officially ruled out for their match-up with the Eagles, while Vincent Kompany, David Silva and Danilo are all major doubts with so many matches coming in a short span of time, Guardiola is likely to lean on his world class bench to carry the load against Palace based on this scenario.

Man City have a firm grip on the 2nd spot in the top flight table, currently 5 points ahead of 3rd place side Tottenham, with an overall record of 14-2-1 it seems to be a two horse race to lift the EPL title in 2019.

Crystal Palace travel north in need of positive result, after narrowly escaping with a 1-0 winner against Leicester City last weekend, the Eagles are now 3 points above the dreaded relegation line.

Roy Hodgson seems to be taking a step backwards after saving the club from relegation last season. The veteran English-man has only been able to lead his side to record of 4-3-10, concerning many of the clubs loyal supporters who had high hopes as the new year kicked off.

Eagles Engine

Wilfred Zaha returns too the starting line-up after serving a one-match ban against the Foxes. Zaha is the true motor that makes this team run, his spark on the pitch cannot be replicated, with an increbible first touch and explosive skill-set with the ball at his feet, he absolutely gives opposing back-lines nightmares. Palace must place their star-man in favorable positions, his ability to draw in defenders and make the correct play for his fellow front-line members to flourish will be required, if the Eagles have any realistic hopes of shocking the mighty Citizens.

Palace's Missing Men

Hodgson was dealt a swift body blow when Martin Kelly was ruled out for this Round 18 affair. The central defender will be especially missed on the back-end against the Citizen's lethal attack, add in starting goal-keeper Wayne Hennessey still on the pine with his own ailment, the Londoner's start the march day without two of their regular back-line members available to go.

The visitors have played within a standard 4-4-2 formation since Hodgson's arrival, preferring to use an aggression style of play with a basic format. The Eagles have had a tough time imposing their will on the defending champs, although they secured a 0-0 draw last season while own their own pitch. Palace have lost 7 of the last 9 meetings with Man City, including a 5-0 drumming while at the Etihad under Hodgson's current reign.

Manchester City vs Crystal Palace - Match Prediction

The battle between the 2nd and 15th team in the table seems to be a fairly uneven match-up. Each team are dealing with considerable injuries on both sides, but this is the type of contest where the Citizens can truly flex their overall depth and quality.

Manchester City will surely be motivated to match Liverpool's result on Friday night. The Citizen's could only muster a draw against Wolves during their trip too Molineux, while the Reds seemed to dominate for much of their time in Wolverhampton. I anticipate seeing the best this squad has to offer from the opening whistle, as they look to send their own message to the rest of the league.

The Citizen's are just a tough match-up for their opponent's, especially in front of their loyal supporters. The hosts are a true possession based football club, using a high percentage of passes to move up and down the pitch in a choreographed pace.

The home side also enjoys using their wingers to their advantage. The large amount of individual talent is apparent, as the Sky Blues are creating a gaudy 22 shots on goal, while their highly skilled trigger-men are finishing their chances in front of goal at a staggering pace, with 33 goals in just 9 EPL matches they are averaging 3.7 per each contest at the Etihad this season.

Match Prop

Over 1.5 Goals +150 / 2.5 - Both Halves

Crystal Palace struggle to defend many of City's main attacking philosophies. The Eagles have a hard time keeping possession of the ball, while laboring to keep coordinated sides from excelling in the open field.

The visitors have also found hitting the back of the net a true task, with 9 goals in their last 9 away matches, they find finishing their chances a large obstacle in collecting positive points on a regular occurrence.

I expect Man City to have a strong outing against the Eagles in this spot. I project the Citizens to score and win both halves, while placing a minimum of 3 goals in the back of the net against Palace's back up keeper.

Manchester City vs Crystal Place - Betting Tips

Over 1.5 -105 / 1.95 - Total 1st Half Goals
Manchester City - To Win Both Halves - YES +100 / 2.0
Manchester City - Team Total Over 2.5 -150 / 1.67 - Goals

EPL - Bonus Match Tips