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Crystal Palace plays Aston Villa on August 31, 2019, at Selhurst Park as the English Premier League’s 2019/20 season continues.
Crystal Palace
Founded 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 elected to the Football League in 1920 and have dropped below the Second Tier only once since 1963. Crystal Palace was among the founding members of the Premier League but in the 1990s, they suffered financial problems. After rehabilitation, they have stayed in the Premier League since the 2013 season.
They have floated along with the bottom league positions for several seasons. Last year, they finished in 12th place after losing eight out of their first 13 matches. However, a win over then-undefeated Manchester United started a comeback that saw them win nine games from New Year’s Day onwards to keep their Premier League spot.
Wilfried Zaha is set to exit and replace Neymar at Paris Saint-Germain and with Zaha gone, Palace’s attack is expected to come from Andros Townsend. The 28-year old from Leytonstone in England has developed consistency in the last couple of years. He scored six goals in 38 appearances last season and if he continues to improve, he will be the key man for Palace this year.
Jordan Ayew was the biggest summer acquisition for Crystal Palace. The 27-year old Frenchman was instrumental in Palace’s 2-1 win over Manchester United last August 24th. Ayew gave Palace their first lead over Manchester United, their first lead at Old Trafford in 39 years. Ayew was replaced by Christian Benteke in the 75th minute, but not after making his mark on the match and the team.
Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C. was founded in 1874 and they were also among the founding members of the Football League in 1888 and the Premier League in 1992. They are only one of five English football clubs to win the European Cup, doing so in 1981/82. They have also won the Football League First Division a total of seven times, the FA Cup also seven times, the League Cup five times and the UEFA Super Cup once.
Former Brentford manager Dean Smith took over from Steve Bruce and Aston Villa finished 5th in the final EFL table while making the playoffs. Villa won the 2019 English Football League final playoff with a 2-1 victory over Derby City. The triumph earned them promotion back to the Premier League and this season, they are making their first appearance in the top flight in three years.
Jack Grealish has since matured from his maverick days. He has developed and is happy to sit in one of the two central midfielder slots and drive forward. He’s good with the ball and is efficient with his passes. No question he can cause havoc on defenses and can be a problem for opponents tasked of shutting him down.
Wesley has been their biggest offseason addition. The Brazilian striker compiled a modest 35 goals in 117 matches played for Genk but he isn’t intended to be a high scorer. At 6-3, Wesley has the broad frame and physicality to be a menace inside the box and will be a target man for Aston Villa’s midfield goal scorers. Wesley opened the scoring in Villa’s 2-1 win over Everton, their first Premier League win since 2016.
Who Wins?
Crystal Palace heads to this match as the soccer betting favorites to beat Aston Villa. Head to head, Crystal Palace is 4-3-3 SU in their last 10 meetings against Aston Villa. Overall though, Aston Villa has 18 wins against Palace’s 11 victories while these teams ended up in a draw in a total of 14 matches.
Crystal Palace has won four out of their last seven matches with two draws and only one loss While Aston Villa has won three out of their last seven matches played, losing the other three. Both these teams are still a work in progress but Crystal Palace is coming off a big victory over Manchester United last August 24th. When it comes to current form and offensive firepower, I’ll take Crystal Palace over Aston Villa. Prediction: Crystal Palace
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