Premier League
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace prediction
Aston Villa will look to continue their fine form when they host Crystal Palace on Boxing Day.
Dean Smith’s side have taken seven points from their last three fixtures, keeping a clean sheet in each in the process. Their most recent result was the 3-0 thrashing at fellow West Midlands club West Bromwich Albion last weekend.
Crystal Palace’s form is going in the opposite direction, with just two points from their past three games, which concluded with a 7-0 humiliation at home to Liverpool last Saturday. The defending champions were 3-0 up at half-time.
I am not taking into account each side’s performance versus Liverpool for this one, but the freedom the Aston Villa players seem to have this season compared to last has made them not only an exciting team to watch, but a winning side. They will start the Boxing Day fixtures in 7th, with 1-2 games in hand on the rest of the league.
Villa’s odds are surprisingly decent for this one despite each side’s last result, and I cannot ignore their price of evens with how they are playing. Jack Grealish, Ross Barkley and Ollie Watkins are all capable of being the match winner in this one, whilst Bertrand Traore was the man of the match last time out. Emiliano Martinez has not conceded a goal since November.
Best bet: Aston Villa to win is 1/1 at Bet365