The English Premier League continues this weekend, so take a look at our tips and predictions for the Crystal Palace vs. Stoke City and Manchester United vs. Brighton matches. With plenty of picks and markets to choose from, don’t waste your time and join the action at Get More Sports.
Crystal Palace vs. Stoke City
Three-Way: 1: Crystal Palace +114; X: +252 Draw; 2: Stoke +305 at BetDSI Sportsbook
Spread -0.5: Crystal Palace +110; Stoke -114
Total +2.5: Over +112; Under -118
CRYSTAL PALACE
The Eagles are looking for the first win in six matches and 2:1 victory over Chelsea at Selhurst Park, and although it seems that they slightly improved since Roy Hodgson took over, it’s still not enough to escape the bottom of the Premier League. Crystal Palace is currently in the 20th place in the league with five points, eight behind the Potters and five behind West Brom who is above the relegation zone. Palace drew against Everton at home in the latest match as all four goals were seen in the first half. James McArthur opened up the scoring in the first minute, but only five minutes later, Leighton Baines equalized from the penalty spot. Wilfried Zaha scored in the 35th minute to give the Eagles another lead, but Oumar NIasse’s goals in the dying moments of the first half settled the final score.
Crystal Palace played 15 games so far in the 2017/18, recording three victories, two draws, and ten losses, with a goal difference of 10:29, which is 2.60 goals per contest on average. The Eagles are way better at home recently as they are without a defeat in the previous four matches, scoring two in each of the last three, so I am expecting them to find the net on this one as well.
Wilfried Zaha and James McArthur are the team’s top scorers with three goals apiece, while Bakary Sako has a couple of goals to his name at the moment. Palace started to play better, particularly at home, and it looks that the inefficiency is not a problem anymore, and now with Christian Benteke back into contention, the Eagles should be fine going forward. Roy Hodgson cannot count on Connor Wickham (cruciate ligament rupture) and Chung-Yong Lee (muscle), while Patrick van Aanholt is doubtful as he’s recovering from a hamstring injury.
STOKE CITY
The Potters are undefeated in the past three Premier League games and are hoping to extend that positive run against the weakest team in the championship. Stoke drew the previous two matches; first, they played 2:2 with Leicester City at home, and then 2:2 with Brighton at Amex Stadium. Maxim Choupo-Moting scored to give the Potters a lead in the 28th minute, but the hosts responded and tied through Pascal Gross before Kurt Zouma’s header in the final moment of the opening half restored a lead for the visitors. Stoke was better throughout the entire tilt but Brighton escaped a defeat thanks to Jose Izquierdo’s goal in the 60th minute. Mark Hughes’ side is currently in the 15th position in the Premier League, and a potential win here could take them up to the mid-table.
Stoke City played 14 games in this campaign, recording four victories, four draws, and six losses, with a goal difference of 19:26, which is 3.21 goals per contest on average. The Potters didn’t suffer an away defeat in the last two outings, scoring in each of them, and although they are without a win at Selhurst Park since 2007, I believe they will score at least one on Saturday.
The veteran striker Peter Crouch is the team’s leading scorer with four goals in ten appearances, while Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Mame Diouf are following him on a goal-scoring chart with three goals to their respective names. The Swiss international Xherdan Shaqiri is the most creative individual at Stoke with five assists so far, while the Cameroonian Choupo-Moting recorded a pair of dishes at the moment. Mark Hughes is without Stephen Ireland (fractured leg), Geoff Cameron (concussion), and starting goalkeeper Jack Butland (fractured finger), so Lee Grant will take a place between the sticks on this one.
Crystal Palace vs. Stoke City – Match Prediction
Palace improved in the offense but they still cannot keep their net intact, so I am expecting to see goals on both ends here.
MY PICK: Both teams to score YES (-110)
Manchester United vs. Brighton
Three-Way: 1: Man United -370; X: +675 Draw; 2: Brighton +2525 at BetDSI Sportsbook
Spread -2: Man United +110; Brighton -110
Total +3: Over +121; Under -125
MANCHESTER UNITED
The Red Devils suffered two defeats in the previous three matches, and the most recent in the Champions League to Basel is surely concerning for Jose Mourinho and fans. Manchester United managed to bounce back in the Premier League and secure a 4:1 win over Newcastle United following a narrow loss to Chelsea, and they are in the second position with eight points behind the city rivals Manchester City. Mourinho’s side is a big favorite on this one and anything but a commanding win would be surprising as the Red Devils cannot afford to drop more points.
Manchester United played 20 games in this season, recording 14 victories, two draws, and four losses, with a goal difference of 44:11, which is 2.75 goals per contest on average. The Red Devils are fantastic at Old Trafford so far as they won all nine matches, conceding just two goals in the process, and the first one in the Premier League was against Newcastle United last weekend.
Romelu Lukaku is the team’s top scorer with 12 goals in 19 appearances and he managed to snap the scoring drought with a goal in a win over the Magpies, so he should continue to score on a regular basis yet again. Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford contributed with seven goals to their respective names, while Rashford with seven assists, and Martial and Henrikh Mkhitaryan with six apiece are the best assist-makers. Jose Mourinho cannot count on Michael Carrick (calf), and Phil Jones (hamstring), but Eric Bailly (knock) is listed as doubtful and could feature on Saturday.
BRIGHTON
The Seagulls are in a fine form of five matches without a defeat and they are playing above expectations as many thought they will be fighting relegation this season, but at least at the moment, it is not the case. Brighton is sitting in the high ninth position in the Premier League with 16 points and although is still early to talk about it, it looks that Chris Hughton’s side is on a good way to secure the elite status for the next campaign.
Brighton played 14 games in the 2017/18 so far, recording five victories, four draws, and five losses, with a goal difference of 14:14, which is precisely two goals per contest on average. The Seagulls won the previous two away matches without allowing a single goal, but keeping the clean sheet at Old Trafford is almost a mission impossible for them. Still, I don’t think they will be blown away by the Red Devils, and I expect Brighton to put up the fight, so I wouldn’t exclude them just yet.
The veteran forward Glenn Murray is the team’s leading scorer with four goals in ten appearances, while Pascal Gross is following him on a goal-scoring table with three goals to his name. Jose Izquierdo and Tomer Hemed added a couple of goals apiece, but the German Gross is a clear MVP at Amex Stadium as he also recorded five assists and is the team’s most creative individual. Chris Hughton is without the midfielder Steve Sidwell who is out with a back injury, while Biram Kayal is lacking match fitness and is doubtful for this encounter.
Manchester United vs. Brighton – Match Prediction
The Red Devils are huge favorites but I don’t think they will score four as they did against Newcastle because Brighton’s defense is playing very well and looking organized at the moment. That’s why I believe the visitors will hold the ground for as much as possible.
MY PICK: Brighton AH -2 (-110)
