Matchday 18 of the Premier League between Bournemouth and Crystal Palace will take place on December 26 at Vitality Stadium. Bournemouth vs. Crystal Palace: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Referee: Thomas Bramall (England)
Matches – 7 (Premier League and Championship, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 30;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.3;
Red cards shown – 1;
Average fouls per match – 22;
Penalties – 0%.
Predicted lineups for Bournemouth vs. Crystal Palace
Bournemouth (4-2-3-1): Kepa Arrizabalaga – Adam Smith, Illya Zabarnyi, Milos Kerkez, Dean Donny Hoesen – Tyler Adams, Ryan Christie – Dango Ouattara, Justin Kluivert, Antoine Semenyo – Evanilson.
Crystal Palace (3-4-2-1): Dean Henderson – Marc Guehi, Maxence Lacroix, Chris Richards – Nathaniel Clyne, Will Hughes, Jefferson Lerma, Tyrick Mitchell – Ismaila Sarr, Daichi Kamada – Jean-Philippe Mateta.
Each team's starting lineup from their last match in this tournament is listed.
Bournemouth
Meanwhile, the club has risen to fifth place in the standings, just three points away from the Champions League zone. This rise was aided by a five-match unbeaten run, in which Andoni Iraola's side secured four wins and one draw. Notably, they defeated Manchester United in the last round, and it was at Old Trafford (3-0). This was the team's first major victory in the current Premier League.
Forward Luis Sinisterra, midfielders Alex Scott and Marcus Tavernier, as well as defenders Marcos Senesi and Julian Araujo, will miss the match due to injuries.
- The club has not lost in 8 of their last 10 league matches (6 wins and 2 draws).
- Both teams scored in 7 of Bournemouth's last 9 Premier League matches.
- At least three goals were scored in 6 of the club's last 8 Premier League matches.
Crystal Palace
The Londoners suffered their first heavy defeat of the current season in the last round, losing 1-5 at home to Arsenal. Before that, the team was unbeaten in five consecutive league matches (2 wins and 3 draws). Oliver Glasner's side is only in 16th place, just 4 points above the relegation zone. Also noteworthy is that only three clubs have scored fewer goals than Crystal Palace (18 goals) in the current Premier League.
Midfielders Matheus Franca and Adam Wharton are out due to injuries.
- In their last nine Premier League matches, the Londoners have lost only twice (3 wins and 4 draws).
- Both teams scored in 5 of Crystal Palace's last 6 league matches.
- The club has not lost in the first 45 minutes in six consecutive away Premier League matches (3 wins and 3 draws).
Bournemouth vs. Crystal Palace: Match Prediction
The hosts of the upcoming match have great motivation – there's a chance to break into the top four soon. This could even happen in this round if Andoni Iraola's side wins and Nottingham Forest loses to Tottenham in another match. Considering Bournemouth's current form, I predict they will earn three points in this encounter. Notably, in their last six home Premier League matches, the team has won 4 times (1 draw and 1 loss).
Although the Londoners have won their last two away league matches, they rarely win on the road. In their previous 21 away matches, Crystal Palace has secured just 4 wins (8 draws and 9 losses). It's also worth mentioning how the teams performed against each other in the Premier League last season: Bournemouth defeated the Londoners in both meetings, keeping clean sheets – 2-0 and 1-0.
My prediction – Bournemouth to win
