Premier League preview and odds: Crystal Palace vs. West Ham

Published on: 14/10/2015

Premier League preview and odds: Crystal Palace vs. West Ham

October 17, 2015 15:00pm Selhurst Park

Premier League

Crystal Palace and West Ham United will go head-to-head on Saturday as both sides attempt to establish themselves as genuine top-four contenders.

Eagles soaring in top four

After back-to-back defeats to Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, Alan Pardew´s men bounced back with victories against Watford and West Brom to claim fourth place in the league with eight games gone.

The Eagles have already won five games this season and have continued to defy the expectations of most pundits. In the last game, they secured a comfortable 2-0 win over former manager Tony Pulis` side West Bromwich Albion.

Much of their success can be put down to a strong defensive unit that has only conceded seven goals all season - the joint lowest total in the league.

Hammers unbeaten in five

West Ham are one of only three Premier League teams that have not lost any of their last five games - the others being Everton and Tottenham.

During that run, they won three in a row against Liverpool, Newcastle United and Manchester City before drawing against Norwich and Sunderland. They now sit in sixth place just four points behind the Premier League leaders Manchester City.

In the last game against Sunderland, the Hammers overhauled a two-goal deficit to secure a vital point and deny the northeast team their first win of the season. The job was made easier for Slaven Bilić`s men when Sunderland were reduced to 10 men following the dismissal of midfielder Jeremain Lens.

Team news

The home side will be without Marouane Chamakh and Kwesi Appiah, while Connor Wickham, Joel Ward, Mile Jedinak and Damien Delaney could all be available subject to fitness tests.

West Ham are still without Alex Song and Joey O`Brien, while Andy Carrol and Eder Valencia are both doubtful. Winston Reid could return after suffering a hip injury.

Recent form (League)

Crystal Palace: WWLLW

West Ham: DDWWW

Betting odds and tips

Palaces three defeats have all come against teams in the top eight while their five victories have all come against teams in the bottom nine.

West Ham have fared slightly better against the top teams having already beaten two of the current top four and claimed the scalp of 10th-ranked Liverpool. You can back the Hammers to defeat another top-four team at 17/5 with Betvictor. A correct score of 1-2 is available at a very attractive price of 14/1 with Bet365.

Published on: 14/10/2015

Any odds displayed within this preview were correct at the time of publishing (14/10/2015 12:45:45) but are subject to change.