The Tottenham Hotspur hosts Crystal Palace at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on September 14, 2019.
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur FC was established in 1882 and it is the first club to accomplish the League and FA Cup double, doing so during the 1960/61 season. They successfully defended the FA Cup in 1962 and then went on to win the European Cup Winners Cup in 1963, the first for any British club. In 1972, they won the inaugural UEFA Cup. Overall, Tottenham has won at least one trophy in every decade from the 1950s to the 2000s, a feat that is only matched by Manchester United.
Tottenham finished with just one win in their final five Premier League matches last season and ended up in 4th place in the final table after a promising start to their 2018-19 campaign. Still, they were able to qualify for the Champions League, where they made the final but lost to Liverpool. Despite faltering at the end, Tottenham can be proud of a consistency that saw them earn a fourth straight Top 4 finish in the Premier League. With boss Mauricio Pochettino now in his sixth year with the Hotspur, much is expected from them this season.
The Hotspur ranks 5th in Goal Difference at +1 on the current season. Tottenham has scored a total of seven goals this season, good for third in the league. Four of those seven goals scored were assisted and on the other end of the field, the Hotspur are tied for 10th in the EPL with a total of six goals scored in the current season.
Harry Kane is off to a flying start with three goals scored already this season for Tottenham. Christian Eriksen, Lucas Moura, Erik Lamela, and Tanguy Ndombele have found the back of the net once each this year. Ndombele and Moura also have one assist each for the Hotspur who are the soccer betting favorites in this upcoming contest.
Crystal Palace
Established in 1905, Crystal Palace F.C. has spent most of its history playing in the top two levels of the English Football system. They were named to the Football League in 1920 and since 1963, they have dropped below the second level only once. Crystal Palace was one of the founding members of the Premier League but during the 1990s, they suffered financial problems. After undergoing rehabilitation, they have recovered and stayed in the Premier League since the 2013 season.
Crystal Palace has floated along with the bottom positions in the league for several seasons. Last year, they ended up in 12th place after losing eight out of their first 13 matches. However, a win over then-undefeated Manchester United began a surge that saw them win nine games beginning New Year’s Day to hold on to their Premier League spot.
Crystal Palace ranks 5th in the EPL in Goal Difference at +1. They are currently the best team in the league when it comes to Goals Conceded with only two so far in four matches. However, Crystal Palace has only scored three goals, good for 18th in the league. Only one of their three goals was assisted.
As expected, Jordan Ayew is their main offensive cog with two goals scored already this season. Defender Patrick van Aanholt has the third goal of Crystal Palace this season while Jeff Schlupp owns the lone assist for the club. Meanwhile, goalkeeper Vicente Guaita has been solid with a total of 8 saves and only two goals conceded.
Who Wins?
Tottenham ranks 9th in the Premier League with their 1-2-1 SU record. After a 0-1 loss to Newcastle in round three ended their unbeaten start, they were forced to a 2-2 draw by Arsenal in their most recent outing. Crystal Palace is a surprise 4th right now with their 2-1-1 record. After a morale-boosting 2-1 victory over Manchester United in round three, they defeated Aston Villa in their most recent outing for their second win of the young season.
Harry Kane is Tottenham’s main man and he is back after an injury-plagued 2018/19 season. The addition of Tanguy Ndombele shores up the Hotspur midfield and gives them more weapons. On the other hand, Wilfred Zaha is gone to Paris Saint-Germain and the load could fall to Andros Townsend. Crystal Palace’s defense has held in its first four matches but I think they are going to struggle to stop Tottenham’s offensive juggernaut. I think Tottenham outscores Crystal Palace here. Prediction: Tottenham